Live in the Moment
by Claudi Skies
Summary: Sasha gets her hands on a bottle of alcohol, Mikasa accepts a challenge, and Eren finds himself sprawled on the bathroom tiles. With the 57th expedition only weeks away, romance should hardly be a concern...right? "They're together, but does Eren know that?" EreMika all the way with hints of Yumikuri, Sasha/Connie, & Levi/his cleaning supplies. Chapter 4: Lovestruck Brats—Complete!
1. Oriental Glow

**After neglecting FF for years, I felt the sudden need to come back after joining the SnK fandom. I've been thinking about picking up my old stories (check them out if you love Dramione from the Harry Potter fandom), but life is just hectic so no promises. Anyways, Eren/Mikasa all the way because they are real, and if you're choosing to read this story then I'm sure we agree. Set after the Battle of Trost District Arc at the former HQ of the Survey Corps after the first week of training as official members. Since we're already up to Chapter 59 in the manga and this is around Chapter 21, lots of stuff hasn't happened yet so just keep that in mind. :) I made up their living arrangements since they're not really mentioned—we just know that poor Eren gets the basement. Rated T for alcohol and language. This will probably be a few chapters long!  
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**Chapter 1: Oriental Glow**

**Saturday, 11:07 PM**

"Hey guys, look what I found!"

The three occupants in the room looked up at the sound of Sasha's excited voice. She appeared to be extremely pleased with herself, and knowing her it had something to do with food. The brunette closed the door with a soft click and leaned against it, grinning widely before brandishing the item she had hidden behind her back.

"Meat." Ymir flatly drawled in a disinterested tone. She took one look at it and laid back down on her bunk, resting an arm over her eyes.

On the bunk directly above, Krista put down the book in her hand and frowned at the glutton, who was unashamedly salivating as she worshipped the large piece of meat in her grasp. "Sasha, where did you get that? You're going to get in trouble with the Lance Corporal if he catches you."

"Oh, sorry not this—this is mine." Sasha laughed boisterously and somehow hid the slab of meat inside the folds of her military jacket. Krista didn't bother to conceal her disgust; God knows what else she had in there. "I meant _this_!"

"Is that…?" The blonde girl blinked in astonishment. "Oh god, we're definitely going to get in trouble. Put it back!"

Ymir abruptly sat up, intrigued, her eyebrows lifting and eyes lighting up in faint amusement.

The carefree food hoarder laughed again and walked over to her bunk opposite Krista's. "Don't worry, there are so many bottles down there, no one's ever going to notice one missing."

Krista sighed in exasperation and glanced at the only girl in the room who had yet to say anything. "Mikasa, don't you agree with me? This is a bad idea."

The black-haired warrior remained silent and seemingly indifferent as she continued to get ready for bed, choosing to ignore the others as usual. Even after a week as an official member of the Survey Corps, she was unhappy with the living arrangements. She couldn't for the life of her understand why she couldn't stay with Eren. His quarters were in the basement, so it wouldn't even be inappropriate or inconvenient as he didn't have any roommates. When she had requested to sleep in the basement as well, Lance Corporal Levi simply gave her an odd look while Eren immediately and rather vehemently shot her down. That had stung to say the least.

Sasha waved the alcohol around deliriously, already acting like a drunk. "Oh come on guys! We deserve a brief respite after such a long week of planning, training, planning, training, and more planning, and—"

She was cut off by two crisp knocks on the wooden door. Sasha froze for a few seconds, guilt flitting across her face before rushing to stuff the bottle under her blankets. She gestured to the other girls wildly for someone to go answer the door. With a sigh, Mikasa padded over to the door and cracked it open.

There was no one within her direct line of sight…oh. She looked down and met the narrowed eyes of Eren's squad leader.

"Ackerman, what the hell is going on in there? It's half an hour past curfew!" Levi's signature irritated growl came from the doorway.

Mikasa met his death glare evenly with one of her own and said in a monotonous voice, "Sasha farted in her sleep." Her face was devoid of any emotion.

From behind, Ymir snorted and Krista suppressed a giggle.

"Hey Mikasa!" Said girl protested, whimpering a bit like a wounded animal.

A look of outright disgust and disdain took over the man's features. "Blouse, you do that again and you're done here!" With a sweep of his green cape and final warning glare, the short captain with an equally short fuse turned on his heel and trudged away, presumably to sleep after having completed his night watch shift. According to the schedule, it was Petra's turn.

As soon as the door closed, Sasha pounced and relentlessly tugged on the arm of the ebony-haired girl like a petulant child. "Mikasa, you're so mean to me! This is the second time!"

Slightly twitching in annoyance, Mikasa gave a resigned sigh and looked the upset girl dead in the eye. "Fine, you can drink. Just keep it down."

* * *

"So what exactly is this stuff anyways?" Krista asked suspiciously, peering into the bottle containing dark amber liquid. She and Ymir were sitting on the bottom bunk while Sasha had taken the liberty of making herself comfortable on Mikasa's bed directly across from them.

"I guess we'll find out." Sasha grabbed the bottle from her and took a large gulp. She rapidly blinked a few times before coughing and spluttering, tossing the bottle back into Krista's hands. "That's some strong alcohol, my throat burns! Save me, Mikasa!" The brunette dramatically threw herself across Mikasa's lap, clutching onto the unperturbed girl who was just silently watching the scene before her.

Ymir scoffed and took the bottle. "What an idiot. Let me show you kids how it's done." Like an experienced drinker, she tipped the bottle back and allowed the cool liquid to trickle down her throat. After a few seconds, Ymir pulled the bottle away from her lips and eyed it curiously. "This is surprisingly good. You said you stole this from the cellar?"

Sasha nodded eagerly. "There's a whole collection stowed away down there. You think it's the Special Ops' secret stash?" Her eyes gleamed in excitement.

"Maybe…" Krista shrugged, twirling a lock of golden hair. "Should we really be doing this?"

"Aww, my Krista is such a good girl!" Ymir wrapped an arm around the blonde's shoulder and pulling her in tightly.

"If you're going to do it, just do it." Mikasa spoke up offhandedly. "Don't hesitate."

Krista still looked unsure, and Ymir scoffed again. "Well then, why don't you demonstrate for us?" It was a challenge.

Mikasa's eyes narrowed dangerously at the girl with freckles. Without another word, she reached over and snatched the bottle. She never backed down from a challenge. Giving the alcohol a whiff, Mikasa brought the rim to her lips and tipped her head back. The tangy liquid scorched her throat, but it was a small price to pay for a point to prove. Summoning all of her willpower to keep from making a face at the uncomfortable burning sensation, the soldier fought on.

"Hey…hey, Mikasa. Slow down." Sasha watched with bulging eyes as the liquid was drained from the bottle. "I think that's enough."

"Oh." She drew back and handed what was left of the alcohol to the brunette, wiping her mouth with the sleeve of her shirt and internally grimacing at the bitter aftertaste.

"You drank half of the bottle." Sasha breathed, half in concern and half in awe.

"Are you feeling alright?" Krista asked, alarmed.

"Wow you're really something." Ymir laughed, mostly in good humor but with a condescending undertone. "You just had to chug it down like that, huh?"

"Of course I'm fine." Mikasa retorted a bit snappishly. Even though this was her first time ingesting alcohol, she really did feel fine. Aside from the slight temple throbbing, which she decided was due to exhaustion, she felt completely in control of her own body, contrary to what she had heard about the effects alcohol could have on a person.

"But you're really red." Krista pointed out, nibbling anxiously on her bottom lip as she leaned forward to take a better look at the top graduate of the 104th Trainees Squad.

"Must be the Oriental in me." Mikasa deadpanned. She was aware of this so-called "Oriental glow," having seen it firsthand on those rare occasions her mother drank a small glass of wine. Her father had always kept a small stash in the top left cupboard, and when he thought she wasn't looking he would quickly pour two glasses, one for her mother and the other for himself. He claimed that it was simply juice that she couldn't have, and while Mikasa naturally knew that wasn't true, she would pretend to be ignorant just to play along. The wine only came out for special occasions, and last time it was for her mother's 30th birthday. Her mother's birthday…only a few days before…

Suddenly feeling sick in the stomach, Mikasa threw back the covers and tore across the room to wrench the door open, ignoring the startled exclamations behind her and darting out of the room and into the hallway dimly lit with candles. As she ran towards the bathroom, she couldn't stop the shaky sobs that escaped her mouth. _Why?_ Why was she feeling again? She had been so numb for years…why now? Was it the damned alcohol?

Pushing open the bathroom door, she stumbled through it only to heavily collide with a body, sending both of them sprawling on the cold tiles.

"Oof, ow! Get off of me! What the—" The irate voice stopped as soon as its owner heard the muffled sobs coming from the figure crushing him. "Mikasa?" Surprise colored his tone and replaced the anger.

She had known it was him as soon as they made contact. "E-Eren…" She fisted his shirt and burrowed her head into his chest, her body trembling as the front of his shirt became soaked with her tears.

"What…what are you doing here?" The boy who had just gotten the wind knocked out of him by none other than his adoptive sister asked breathlessly. He tentatively reached up to pat her back. "What's the matter?" Seeing her like this was scaring him shitless—he couldn't remember the last time she had cried like this.

"Eren…" She continued to cry uncontrollably, one hand releasing its hold on his shirt to clutch at her heart. She raised her head from his chest to look him in the face. "It h-hurts…"

The startled gray-eyed boy gaped at the girl hovering above him, blinking as he felt her wet tears splash onto his face and roll down his cheeks. The moonlight shining through the window illuminated her pale grief-stricken face, and he stared as the tears brimming in her dark eyes continued their descent. What could have made her like this?

Suddenly he saw red.

Firmly grabbing onto her shoulders, Eren sat up so that she was sitting between his legs. "Who did this to you, Mikasa? Tell me!"

She shook her head vigorously and took one of his hands from her shoulder, interlacing it with hers and squeezing tightly. "No…"

"I want a name! Give me a name so I can fucking kill the bastard!" Eren shouted, roughly shaking her with the hand he still had on her shoulder.

Reacting instinctively, Mikasa covered his mouth with her hand. "N-No one did this to me…I'm just acting like a stupid idiot." She sucked in a deep breath, willing herself to calm down. Somehow, it wasn't a difficult feat to accomplish with Eren in such close proximity.

Eren looked at her as if she'd grown two heads before prying away the hand covering his mouth. "You're anything but a stupid idiot and you know it. What's the real reason you're like this?"

She looked down at the hands clenched around her own, a small smile slowly appearing on her tear-streaked face. "As long as you're with me…" She whispered, closing her eyes as she brought their joined hands up to her wet cheek and inhaled deeply.

"What?" He asked in confusion. "Dammit Mikasa, answer my question!"

She gently tugged one hand from his grasp and cupped his cheek, gazing into his bright eyes. "Eren, as long as you're with me, I'll be fine."

"Wha—" Uncomfortable with his sudden awareness of how close she was, Eren made to scoot back and create some space between them but was abruptly prevented from doing so by another hand cupping his other cheek.

"Don't…" Mikasa looked at him with pleading eyes. "Don't push me away like this anymore. I can't take it."

"I…" He trailed off and audibly gulped as she leaned in so that their noses were softly grazing. "M-Mikasa?"

"Why won't you just let me care for you?" She whimpered a bit. "I care about you so much it hurts…and it hurts even more when you always push me away."

Wondering who this emotional girl in front of him was, Eren noticed then that her breath smelled like something strangely familiar…something that his father used to indulge in. A terrible habit that only worsened after…_no_. Now was not the time. "What did you drink?" He urgently searched her eyes for an answer.

"It hurts…" She repeated as her eyes fluttered shut and closed the short distance between their lips. He stiffened in response, shocked, a bit repulsed, and…relieved? His first kiss. Tearing his lips away hers, Eren gasped for breath and jerked away from her reach with wide eyes.

"S-Stop! This is wrong, Mikasa, don't you see? Like I've said, I'm neither your little brother nor your child, but we're still family! What are you doing?"

"Yes, we're family. Of course we are, Eren, and nothing will ever change that." She reached out for him again with a crestfallen expression. "And that only makes me love you more."

When he didn't flinch away from her touch, she took a hold of his face again. "I love you." She breathed against his lips and just when he thought she was going to kiss him a second time, her eyes slid shut and her body went limp. Scrambling to catch her in his arms, Eren hoisted her body up princess-style and held her to his chest. He frowned down at the girl he had known for more than five years now and couldn't help but feel troubled by what had just occurred. Mikasa clearly hadn't been in her usual calm state of mind; the alcohol in her system drew out the emotional side of her that she kept hidden on a daily basis. He was very familiar with that side of her, although she made it a point to not wear her emotions on her sleeves as it made her feel "vulnerable" as she had told him once.

But then, when it came to him, she was always very quick to abandon all pretenses and even reasoning. An enraged Mikasa was someone no one wanted to deal with, and it seemed like he was the only one who dared to confront her when he was present. He understood that she was protective of him and even appreciated it—he really did—but she was protective to the point it was suffocating. Perhaps it was too harsh of him to always push her away, but what did he need to do in order for her to finally realize this? Just thinking about it made his throat constrict.

Staring down at her tranquil face, he caught sight of the healing scar beneath her right eye. It had been his fault; he had inflicted injuries on her that day and the worst part was that he had no recollection of doing so. He was dangerous and while he was thankful that she stood by him, he knew that as long as he was a Titan shifter, no one was safe around him. Sealing the gate with the boulder had been a step in the right direction, but there was still much more to learn before the others could trust him. It was all about willpower and control, and he was determined to fight his own body for it in order to kill all of the Titans while protecting those he cared about. He resisted the sudden inexplicable urge to touch the scar and run his fingers along the side of her face.

If he had heard correctly, she had said a few moments ago that she loved him. Of course he loved her as well…the fact that she had to tell him that was confusing; he never felt the need to tell her as it was just something that should simply be understood. It was natural for family to love each other right? And that _kiss_. He unconsciously licked his lips. What was that?

Furrowing his brow in thought, Eren sighed and adjusted the girl in his arms. She was drunk, so that could be the reason for her emotionally charged words and actions. She had always been an impulsive and straightforward character, never one to shy away from speaking her mind or acting based on her strong sense of morals, so perhaps he was overthinking things. Nodding resolutely, he decided that he would sleep on it and ask her some questions tomorrow. Now he needed to get her back to her room.

Wedging open the bathroom door with his left foot, Eren gritted his teeth in concentration as he struggled to open the door the rest of the way with his elbow while carefully making sure that Mikasa didn't hit her head on anything. He nearly shouted out in surprise and dropped her when he came face to face with the potato girl. She looked suspiciously nervous with the way her eyes were darting around and looking everywhere but at him.

"Sasha? What are you doing here?" He asked, grunting with some effort as he kept his shoulders braced against the door and carried Mikasa out.

"I-I didn't hear anything!" The girl squeaked. Who was she kidding? "I was just worried about Mikasa because she just ran out of the room like that…how is she?"

Eren sighed and glanced down at the peacefully slumbering girl whose mouth was curled up on one side in what appeared to be the start of a smile. Whatever had been bothering her before was chased away by pleasant dreams. "She passed out in the bathroom—good thing I happened to be in there." He stared at the girl before him. "How did she get her hands on alcohol?"

Sasha scratched her head sheepishly. "Um, it was my fault…I stole it from the cellar downstairs and we were just having a friendly…challenge." When he narrowed his piercing light eyes at her, she looked away in embarrassment. "Sorry, it won't happen again."

"It better not. Don't get Mikasa involved in your antics." Eren gave her a disapproving look and shifted the weight of the girl in his arms. "If you need a victim, there's always Connie and Jean." He paused. "Pick Jean."

The brunette didn't miss the wicked glint in his eyes and the hint of a smirk. Smiling herself, Sasha twisted around and bent down, turning her head to talk to him. "Here, I'll take her. If anyone catches you going into our room, there will be unnecessary trouble."

Eren mulled over her words for a few seconds before nodding, seeing truth in them. "Thanks." He carefully maneuvered the sleeping girl onto Sasha's back and watched the two of them disappear down the hallway.

"Good night, Eren." Sasha whispered over her shoulder. He responded with a parting nod and with one final glance at the girl on her back, he turned in the opposite direction and retreated down to the basement for the night.

* * *

**Sunday, 6:09 AM**

The incessant pounding on the door startled Krista awake. Blinking blearily, she struggled to sit up and get out of bed. She was a light sleeper, but normally Mikasa was the first one to react to any noise. The girl was still surprisingly curled up in a fetal position and sound asleep judging by the way her covers moved up and down in a rhythmic pattern with every breath. Sasha and Ymir's light snores clashed with each other. Too tired to notice anything else, Krista nearly tripped over a pair of boots—probably Sasha's because only hers would be lying around—on her way to the door.

As soon as she cracked it open, the Lance Corporal was roughly pushing past her into the room. He was equipped with a mop and appeared to be dressed for housework in an outfit that was complete with a bandana and mask. Surprised, Krista was no longer half asleep but definitely wide awake from the rude intrusion.

"Get up, you brats!" The unforgiving short man bellowed, loudly tapping the handle end of the mop against the wooden bunk. The sound was unpleasantly jarring and immediately ceased the snoring. "You know what day it is!"

Sasha stirred awake with a groan and groggily sat up in bed, stifling a yawn as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "What day is it, sir?"

Levi looked as if he was going to have an apoplectic fit before realization dawned on him and he schooled his features to that usual impassive state. "Oh, that's right, you've only been here for a week. Well, lucky for you brats, Sundays are clean up days!" His sarcasm was scathing.

Ymir made a disgruntled sound. "We have to clean every week?"

He gave her a sharp look. "I'd have you clean everyday if we didn't have anything else to do during the week." His voice and face showed no signs that he was joking.

With a moan of despair, Sasha kicked back her covers and blindly reached around for her clothes. Suddenly realizing that she was only in her undergarments, she blushed crimson and stared wide-eyed at the man, who was still in the room and tapping away with that damned mop of his. Fortunately, he was too busy glowering at something beneath her top bunk to notice her current state of undress.

"Ackerman, wake up!" He shouted grouchily. Ymir dropped the jacket in her hands to plug her ears. "You sleep like the fucking dead!"

Feeling the need to defend her friend, Sasha quickly pulled on her shirt before clearing her throat to get his attention. "She's not usually like this, sir, she's just exhausted."

Levi shook his head and sent her a scornful glare. "We're all fucking exhausted, but do you see anyone else behaving this way? I woke up the boys only a few minutes before, and I expect that all of them have started cleaning."

Sasha swallowed nervously. Despite his noticeably short stature, this man certainly made up for it with his frightening personality. "Yes sir, I understand. I will make sure that she leaves the room with the rest of us."

Levi considered her for a moment before tersely nodding. "Breakfast in the kitchen in five." As he turned to leave the room, he suddenly paused to sniff the air. Sasha gulped again—could he have smelled the alcohol from last night? But it seemed like the gods were on her side when he slightly shook his head and left without another word. She heaved a shaky sigh of relief and exchanged looks with Krista, who had been cowering by the door the entire time.

It was going to be a long day.

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**I have the second chapter halfway done, so hopefully I'll have it up within the next two days! I'd love to hear what you guys think about it so far, and I'm even more interested in your answer to: Who's your favorite character in the series? I like Armin (he'll appear in the next chapter) just as much as I like Mikasa, so I can't pick between the two of them. Eren is ranked behind Armin, Mikasa, and Sasha because of his terrible attitude and misdirected anger toward Mikasa...we all know that you want to kill all of the titans, but just calm the fuck down, Jaeger. Thank goodness the more recent manga chapters give him hope.**


	2. Her Eren-dar

**Thanks for all of the kind and motivating reviews! :) To the one rude reviewer: I don't know if you'll read this, but you need to calm down. It's cool if you don't appreciate my humor. I respect your opinion, so please respect mine. If you were being sarcastic, then I have nothing to say. Moving on, because Hange/Hanji's gender in the manga is unknown but portrayed as a female in the anime, I decided to follow the anime here.**

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**Chapter 2: Her Eren-dar**

**8:33 AM**

Eren scrubbed the window in front of him with true dedication, fully intending to do his best because he knew from previous experiences just how much of a clean freak his squad leader was—an OCD clean freak with a terrifying wrath if the job wasn't done immaculately. Wiping the beads of perspiration gathering on his forehead with the back of his hand, Eren stepped back to assess his handiwork somewhat proudly and nodded to himself in satisfaction. The glass was so clean that it shined. Now he had to clean the outside of the window, and unfortunately this was one of the few in the castle that didn't open.

Picking up his bucket of water and dropping the sponge and rag inside, he made his way out of the living quarters. He caught a glimpse of Reiner and Bertolt sweeping the hallway floor while Auruo and Eld were scrubbing the walls. Ymir breezed past him with a feather duster in hand, and Krista tailed behind with a broom. Passing by a room with the door propped open, he saw Connie chuck his sponge at Sasha's face and walked faster when he heard her indignant yell that promised revenge. He didn't want to be there when they got in trouble for goofing off. Sunday cleaning was serious business; the Lance Corporal took his cleaning just as rigorously as he did his training.

Striding out of the front gates, Eren squinted in the morning sunlight and looked around. It was a clear day, and there were a few people working on trimming the garden hedges and pulling out weeds. Locating the window he was halfway done cleaning, Eren marched over and returned the sneer Jean sent him when they made eye contact as he walked by. The gray-eyed boy snorted derisively—the guy was cleaning the stables and even petting the horses while he was at it. How disgustingly fitting.

Armin was working on the hedges next to the window Eren was approaching. The blond boy looked up and smiled at him in greeting. "Who would have thought that Lance Corporal Levi was a stickler for aesthetic appeal?"

Eren rolled his eyes and began to wipe down the window. "Yeah, he sure doesn't look like it." They worked in compatible silence for a while before the Titan shifter broke it with, "Have you seen Mikasa yet today? I didn't see her at breakfast."

"I think the Lance Corporal gave her the task of cleaning the bathroom." Armin replied, snipping away and humming a line from some folk song that the other boy vaguely recognized but couldn't name.

Eren looked over at his best friend. "All by herself?"

Armin frowned and shrugged. "Something about punishment for sleeping in later than everyone else. Can you believe that, Eren? _Mikasa_, sleeping in?" He gave a short chuckle. "That's impossible. I hope she's doing okay."

"Well," Eren began, unsure how to bring up what had happened yesterday, "the girls apparently drank a bit last night."

Armin's head shot up in surprise. "They did? It must have been Sasha's doing." He shook his head. Indoors, Sasha sneezed particularly loudly and Connie dropped a wet cloth onto her head. Her banshee-like screaming could be heard from a mile away. Their faces fleetingly twisted into matching grimaces before the lighter-haired boy returned to the matter at hand. "Wait, are you saying that _Mikasa_ drank as well?" Armin's jaw dropped open incredulously when the other boy nodded. "How do you know?"

"I ran into her in the bathroom." Eren tossed the sponge back into the bucket and leaned against the wall, recalling last night's events. "She was crying and wouldn't tell me why. But she did tell me other rather…confusing things."

Worried and curious, the blue-eyed boy stood up from his crouching position and patted the dirt off of his trousers. "Like what?"

"Like how I always push her away and she can't handle it." Eren crossed his arms across his chest and furrowed his brows in thought, aimlessly scuffing the toe of his boot against the dirt. "Am I wrong for trying to show her that I don't need to be protected like that?"

Armin sighed as he pondered the question. "You know how Mikasa is...she's been like this for as long as I've known her. From what you told me about her past, she feels—"

"Indebted to me, I know." Eren huffed in frustration. "But I've always told her that she shouldn't feel that way. We're family and she already does more than enough for me. Being overprotective is the one thing I can do without. You've seen how…_irrational_ she gets sometimes." He could feel Armin's calculating gaze on him and glanced up. "What?"

The blond hesitated, picking his next words cautiously. "You know that she loves you, right?"

Eren waved a dismissive hand and rubbed his lips absentmindedly, feeling a bit warm as he said his next words. "Yeah she told me that yesterday. After she kissed me."

"She _kissed_ you?" The brainiest of the trio screeched, beyond surprised. Sure, Mikasa was bold, but he had no idea she was _that_ bold…ah, maybe the alcohol had kicked in.

"Shh!" Eren looked around wildly, making sure that no one was within earshot.

Armin looked apologetic and dropped his voice to a whisper. "What did you say?"

"Well she kind of passed out before I could say anything…" The puzzled boy trailed off, squinting at something in the distance. "But I love her too."

"You do?" Armin was stunned, his reaction causing his friend shoot him a questioning look. "In what sense?"

Lifting an eyebrow, Eren scratched his head in agitation. "I don't get what you're asking, Armin. She's my family, so of course I love her."

"No, I mean—"

"You're a fucking idiot." A harsh biting voice interrupted.

"No one fucking asked you." Eren bared his teeth in a threatening manner at the unwelcome horse-face that was Jean. Since reuniting with all of the 104th Trainees Squad members who chose to join the Survey Corps, the two of them had been on relatively civil terms. He was also much quieter these days and tended to keep to himself—it was most likely because he was still recovering after Marco's unexpected death. So then why was the guy suddenly being so hostile? "Get back to work."

The taller boy scoffed and looked down his nose at the boy who had unknowingly stolen _all_ of the affections of the most beautiful girl Jean had ever laid eyes upon. And that was unforgivable. "You don't understand Mikasa at all. You don't deserve her."

"What do you mean?" Eren shot back, exasperated. "I've known her for years! In fact, I think it's safe to say that I know her best!"

"You must be blind then." Jean returned with a barking laugh. "Did your eyes grow on your ass instead?"

"What the—" The dark-haired boy began, his eyes sparking with murderous intent as he clenched his fists at his sides.

Seeing that things were already spiraling out of control, Armin hastily stepped in between the two boys who were angrily sizing each other up and waiting for the other to swing out a fist first. "Eren, calm down. Jean, can't you explain it to him in a nicer way? Your malice is uncalled for."

Jean threw his hands up in the air in contemptuous disbelief. "Does he seriously need someone to explain it to him when it's so glaringly _obvious_ to the point that it's painful for me to watch?"

"What's he talking about, Armin?" Eren asked, genuinely bewildered. With a determined square of his shoulders, Armin prepared to open up his oblivious eyes to a whole new world. Gardening could wait—this might even be a greater shock than the first sighting of the Colossal Titan.

* * *

**9:42 AM**

Mikasa wiped down one of the many shower stalls with precise strokes, working efficiently with a rag in each hand. She was used to cleaning and quite good at it, so it hadn't fazed her in the least when the Lance Corporal ordered her to clean the bathroom on her own as punishment for sleeping in. She was angry at herself for sleeping in and even angrier for drinking the night before—but her pride hadn't allowed her to back down from Ymir's challenge. She had consumed enough to make her crash from both exhaustion after a long week and light headedness, but aside from waking up more tired than usual, she felt fine. No headache or hangover of any sort. Sighing and scrubbing even harder, Mikasa silently vowed to never place herself in such a situation again. Well, at least she had a pleasant dream involving a certain someone; just thinking about it made her cheeks turn pink. She released her hold on one rag to clutch the scarf around her neck.

"Mikasa!" Sasha popped her head into the doorway, beaming happily. "Just thought I'd check on you. I'm almost done with the room I'm working on, so I'll help you in a bit!" Something bounced off the back of her head. Eyes twitching in irritation, Sasha swung around and called down the hallway to the perpetrator who was definitely snickering. "Connie, you're dead!" She turned back to Mikasa, who was looking back at her with a faintly amused tug of her lip.

"He's so annoying." Sasha supplied with a roll of her eyes before shouting down the hallway again. "Hey, actually you finish up the room okay? I'm going to help Mikasa." Turning a deaf ear to Connie's loud cries of protest, she set down her cleaning supplies.

"You really don't need to, I'm doing just fine." Mikasa assured her.

"Don't be silly, I want to help! And besides, last night was for the most part my fault." Sasha admitted sheepishly as she started mopping the floor. "I promised Eren that it would never happen again."

Perking up at the sound of his name, Mikasa glanced at the girl in interest. "Eren?"

"Mhm." Sasha said in affirmation. "Oh, and please don't get mad, but I heard everything that happened in here." Noticing that Mikasa was frozen in place, Sasha quickly added, "I was worried, but I'm glad that Eren was around to take care of you."

"Here." Mikasa echoed a bit distantly, her eyes glazing over. They flickered over on their own accord to the tiles she had seen in her dream. She blinked a few times before dropping the rags in hand and walking over to the other girl, grabbing onto her shoulders to look her in the eyes. "You're saying that you heard everything?"

"Um, yes?" Sasha forced a meek smile, inconspicuously wincing under Mikasa's intense scrutiny.

Her hands fell down to her sides, a look of utter defeat on her usual serene face. "So it wasn't a dream." Her hands came up to cover her eyes in mortification. "I told Eren that I…and I did that…?"

Knowing exactly what the girl before was referring to and mentally chastising herself for babbling, Sasha put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, Mikasa, I'm sure he understands. He must love you too."

The elite soldier dropped her hands, and the glutton was shocked to see tears prickling in the corners of her eyes. "No…it's not the same." Comprehension dawned on Sasha's face, but she was abruptly silenced when she opened her mouth to offer words of comfort.

"It doesn't matter." Mikasa stated rigidly, shaking her head. "Now isn't the time for me to be burdening Eren with my feelings. He has much bigger things to worry about, greater responsibilities to shoulder in this _war_ we're fighting and I want to help him, not add to his stress. What was I thinking?"

"I guess you weren't." Sasha daringly joked in an attempt to lighten up the damp mood. When she received a warning glare, she dropped the humorous tone and continued on a serious note. "Mikasa, it's exactly because we're in the midst of war that you shouldn't hide your feelings. Who knows what tomorrow will bring? After nearly…" She took a deep breath. "Getting _eaten_ back there at storage headquarters, if I've learned anything from it, it's that we have to live in the moment. Oh, and train hard to wipe out the Titans in the long run because I'll never forgive myself for surrendering to that creature, but yeah. Live in the moment." She concluded her small pep talk with a bright smile that was contagious.

Mikasa flashed a rare smile in return, mulling over the girl's (surprisingly) wise words. "Thank you, Sasha."

The brunette shrugged, her grin growing wider. "Everyone seems to be thanking me these days. It feels weird to be appreciated like this." Her flighty eyes darted over to the doorway. "Who's cleaning the kitchen? You think I can successfully steal some bread?"

* * *

**11:30 AM**

"Okay brats, it's lunchtime!" Levi announced from where he stood in the middle of the main hallway. He turned to Petra and Gunther as they approached him from behind. "Go tell the brats outside that I'll be doing inspections while they eat. Thirty minutes." The two nodded and made their way to the front doors, careful to sidestep buckets, cleaning supplies, and people who were frantically doing last-minute touchups.

"Man, finally! I'm starving!" Connie declared to no one in particular, carrying his bucket to dump out the water.

"Did someone say lunchtime?" Sasha bounded out from the bathroom, a look of pure excitement on her face. Feeling something wet dripping from her mouth, she carelessly wiped away the drool. "Come on, Mikasa! Let's go eat!" Without waiting for the other girl to respond, the brunette took off for the kitchen, crashing into Connie on the way but too one-track minded to apologize.

Mikasa followed Sasha out, turning under the doorway to give the bathroom one last look. She hoped that everything met the Lance Corporal's exceedingly high expectations. Tugging off the bandana she had used to keep her hair back and out of her face while cleaning, she stuffed it into her pocket just as Eren and Armin appeared down the hall. She had sensed him approaching even from such a distance—call it her own personal Eren-dar.

And of course, they immediately locked eyes.

Suddenly feeling strangely shy, Mikasa averted her gaze and started to walk ahead of them towards the kitchen. She could feel his eyes intently boring into the back of her head but chose to keep up her pace. Internally slapping herself, she sharply turned the corner and entered the kitchen. Why was she even avoiding him? Sasha was right, so why was she trying to hide instead of confronting him like she usually didn't hesitate to do?

Pushing aside those thoughts for the time being, Mikasa peered over Krista's head to see what was displayed on the counter for lunch and spotted a tray of baked potatoes. Someone must be happy. While some people enjoyed them, potatoes weren't her favorite so she went directly for the vegetables and bread.

"It feels like my birthday!" The potato monster shouted gleefully, her plate hosting a mountain of potatoes. There had to be at least five.

"Can you be any less attractive?' Connie muttered with a roll of his eyes.

Mikasa was very aware that Eren was standing directly across from her and helping himself to a loaf of bread, but kept her eyes downcast as she hurriedly picked up a fork and walked over to the tables. She knew that he was following her with his eyes and blushed, pulling up the scarf a little higher.

Before she knew what she was doing, she set down her plate next to Sasha's and looked at all of the faces around the table. Sasha, Ymir, and Krista all stared back at her in stark astonishment, some more outright than others.

"You're not sitting with Eren and Armin over there?" Sasha tilted her head towards the table the three of them usually sat at.

"No." Mikasa swiftly sat down. "It's good to change things up every once in a while, right?"

When everyone just blinked at her, Mikasa turned expectantly to Sasha. The brunette swallowed the chunk of potato in her mouth and cleared her throat. "Uh, right."

Krista took a bite of her bread and chewed as she watched Mikasa thoughtfully. "Why are you avoiding your friends?" The blonde glanced over at the table Eren and Armin just sat down at and giggled. "Eren looks like he's about to blow a fuse…he keeps staring at you."

Mikasa stilled for a few seconds, wondering if she should give in and look over but decided against it and instead began picking at the greens with her fork, her lips set in a stubborn line. "I'm not avoiding them."

"Sure you're not." Ymir drawled, popping the rest of her potato into her mouth and obnoxiously smacking her lips. "Got into a fight?"

"No." The black-haired girl adamantly denied, still poking at her vegetables. "I don't want to talk about it."

Ymir tsked and clicked her tongue, but didn't say anything more. She honestly didn't care at all; it was just sadistic fun for her to relish in the miseries of others. Krista was still watching her with knowing eyes, and Sasha was sneaking pitying glances at her every now and then. They were all getting on her nerves. Mikasa ruthlessly stabbed a carrot and put it into her mouth, chewing and swallowing but not really tasting.

A few tables down, Eren was fuming as he repeatedly and restlessly butchered the same piece of lettuce with his fork, smashing it into smaller and smaller fragments. Sitting across from him, Armin watched in quiet amusement, taking a casual sip of water. From the next table over, Jean didn't bother hiding his amusement and snickered. "Even attacking vegetables now, are we? You should keep that temper of yours in check."

"Shut up." Eren snarled without taking his glare off of his plate. He was going to destroy, completely _annihilate_ this stupid piece of lettuce.

"Why the hell are you even angry?" Jean set his mug down, arching a mocking eyebrow. "I just told you the truth, even though it pained me to do so."

Eren remained silent, still furiously hacking away. Deciding that he'd let him go on for enough, Armin reached across the table and grabbed Eren's arm, stilling his movements. "Calm down, Eren. Mikasa just isn't ready to face you yet after what happened yesterday. Give her some time, okay?"

"That's not what I'm angry about." He growled under his breath.

"Then what is it?" Armin prompted patiently. Fed up with this conversation, Jean switched his attention back to his food. He really couldn't understand how anyone could stand being around the moody moron; his respect and compassion for Armin and Mikasa grew infinitely.

Before Eren could say anything, a booming ecstatic voice from the kitchen entrance carried over all of the lunchtime ruckus. "Oh Ereeeeeeeeeeen! Where are you, kid?"

The gray-eyed boy visibly cringed but stood up and waved over the leader of the 4th squad. "I'm here."

"My Titan shifter!" Unable to contain her delight, Hange briskly crossed the dining room to grasp Eren's arms in an iron hold, her eyes twinkling. From the other side of the room, Mikasa's head whipped over. Her eyes zeroed in on Hange's grip. "Ready for some experimenting?"

"Oh, right that's today." Eren gestured to his nearly untouched plate of food. "Armin, can you take care of this for me?" The blond boy nodded and gave him a stern we-are-not-finished-talking look that Eren ignored. The dark-haired boy saluted the Titan scientist. "I'm ready."

"Excellent! I have permission from shorty to kidnap you for the afternoon. I was thinking that we could work on figuring out how to completely shift without fail using different stimuli to get you into action…we didn't get any fruitful results last week, but I have high hopes that our efforts will pay off in due time!" Hange led him towards the exit, smiling amiably at all of the other Survey Corps members ogling them from their seats. They weren't even trying to be discreet about it.

Listening to the researcher's optimistic words made Eren feel hopeful as well. With these experiments, perhaps he could eventually obtain full control over his Titan body; this was essential to progressing towards a brighter future for the human race. His chest tightened, and he reminded himself to breathe. No pressure or anything.

Hange was still droning on; she was as passionately obsessed with Titans as Sasha was with food. Eren briefly tuned her out as his gaze landed on Mikasa sitting at the table by the door. She looked up at that exact moment, narrowed her eyes, grabbed her loaf of bread, and stalked over purposefully. Sasha, Krista, and Ymir watched in uninhibited fascination.

Dutifully saluting the squad leader before turning to Eren, Mikasa proceeded to forcefully shove the bread into his mouth. "You need to eat if you're going to train!"

Hange chuckled while Eren struggled in vain to speak with his mouth full. Taking a big bite and yanking out the rest, the embarrassed boy fixed her with a flustered look for being treated this way in front of a superior. "Fine, I'll eat this." Softening, he hesitated before adding, "Thanks."

Mikasa nodded, skillfully masking her surprise. The way he was looking at her was unfathomable; she had a feeling he was tacitly trying to convey something…but what? Hange sighed wistfully and looked between the two of them a bit regretfully. "Alright Eren, let's get moving. We have many experiments to go through."

"May I ask what kind of experiments?" Mikasa asked steely, her protective nature seeping into her voice.

Hange's eyes lit up, and Eren, all too familiar with that pleased and even bordering smug look, hastily grabbed the researcher's arm. "No, Mikasa, you _really_ don't want to ask. I'll let you know later, we're going now!" He desperately wanted to add "I need to talk to you," but that wouldn't be quite appropriate at the moment given the audience and circumstance.

As she allowed Eren to tow her out the door, Hange called cheerfully over her shoulder, "If you're interested, we can talk later! Come find me!"

He was going to make sure that didn't happen; _no one_ deserved to suffer through that torturous lecture. Shuddering at that memory, Eren bitterly wished that he had kept his mouth shut back then.

"Four eyes." Scowling, Levi beckoned them over to where he was inspecting the wall. "Don't hold back on these experiments now." He trained his cool gaze on Eren. "And you, get it done, you hear? I'm sure I don't need to tell you again just how many people are depending on you." It was an order.

"Yes sir!" Eren saluted with a determined nod. He couldn't afford to let anyone down; with the 57th expedition a mere three weeks away, he needed to do everything he could and more now. His mind drifted off to picture a girl with shimmering dark eyes and full pink lips wearing his scarf. There were things he had to clear up with her soon.

* * *

**So this made me think about just how hard it must have been to clean without Windex. The following chapter will be up next week!**


	3. Friend-Zoned

**Thanks for all of your kind reviews, favorites, and follows! You guys are awesome! :) So I was kidding about this chapter being the last one...I had intended it to be, but these scenes just came to mind and I couldn't ignore them. And the word count for each chapter has turned out nicely, around 4-5k each.**

**9/5/14 Update: I just want to address the anonymous review I received for this chapter from someone who believes that I'm not keeping Eren, Mikasa, and Armin in character. I respect this opinion, but I have to disagree. By disregarding Mikasa's constant desire to protect him and pushing her away without considering her feelings, Eren IS taking her for granted, even if he doesn't mean to. He just assumes here that she is protecting him to repay a debt and hasn't shown any indication throughout the years that he appreciates her in the slightest. Armin, being the perceptive friend he is, may realize that it's not Eren's true intentions to treat her so coldly, but it is true that his actions can only be rightfully described as him taking her for granted. What Armin says to Mikasa is simply what he observes, and he doesn't say more because it would only be appropriate for Eren to talk to her about it himself, which he expresses to Eren before his conversation with Mikasa. In the next chapter, Eren does just that.**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Friend-Zoned**

**1:16 PM**

"Mikasa, wait up!"

The girl paused on her way to her room, turning at the sound of a voice she knew well. "Armin."

"I was wondering if you have time right now to talk…are you busy?" The blond asked as he caught up to her.

"I was just planning to change and go for a run, but that can wait." Mikasa tucked a strand of black hair behind her ear, her characteristic blank façade morphing into one of concern. "Is something wrong?" There was a limit to how many people she could afford to care about, and Armin was one of the select few.

He quickly shook his head. "No, nothing bad, don't worry. It's about Eren."

She felt her heart momentarily seize up and was overcome with dread at the sound of his name, only breathing again when Armin repeated that it was nothing bad. Mikasa looked around before motioning her friend to follow. There were too many pairs of ears and eyes in the main hallway. An unfortunate handful of people were cleaning their assigned areas again after the Lance Corporal had cornered them after lunch and given them an earful for failing to flawlessly fulfill their duties. Aside from the poor souls who seemed to be constantly rushing in and out to fetch clean water from the well, there were others just hanging around or retiring to their rooms perhaps with the same idea Mikasa had. It seemed like after a morning of cleaning, Sunday was usually relatively relaxing; everyone deserved a short break after a long stressful week.

As she walked towards the stairs leading up to the central tower, she passed by Ymir and Krista who were both dressed to go workout. While Ymir seemed completely at ease parading around the castle in her sports bra and shorts, Krista was more conservative and wore a long white t-shirt that draped over her shorts. Both girls had their hair tied back and towels wrapped around their necks. They stopped their conversation to acknowledge their roommate.

"Are you still joining us later, Mikasa?" The shorter of the duo asked, smiling invitingly.

"Yes, in a bit." The girl in question confirmed.

Nodding, Krista shifted her gaze to Armin, who was pointedly and rather awkwardly looking anywhere but at the thinly clothed girls. "You're welcome to join us too, Armin."

Her spontaneous offer caught the boy off guard, and he scratched his head with a chuckle, glancing at them without making eye contact. "Thanks, but I think I'll pass today. You guys know that I don't workout as often."

"Why so shy?" Ymir taunted with a mocking lift of a dark brow. "You should be used to seeing us like this after all these years. And come on, it's not every day you get to exercise with girls like us." When she laughed vociferously in a patronizing fashion, Mikasa's face darkened ominously.

Armin looked startled. "I'm not—"

"It's okay, maybe next time." Krista hastily interjected in hopes of diffusing the sudden palpable tension around them, her clear blue eyes darting between the three faces. "Let's go, Ymir. See you later, Mikasa!" The blonde grabbed the taller girl's arm and propelled the two of them forward, casting Armin an apologetic look over her shoulder.

"Why does she always joke around like that?" He thought out loud, watching their backs for a few seconds before turning to his companion. "Shall we go, Mikasa?"

Softening and recomposing herself, Mikasa nodded and led the way up the spiral flight of stairs. There were eighty-five steps in total; she had counted the first time she went up there for patrol a few nights ago. The climb would serve just fine as part of her workout warmups. Armin followed without voicing any complaints.

Taking the last step to the circular top of the tower, Mikasa closed her eyes and breathed in the fresh air. The sun was high overhead and illuminated the vast greenery surrounding the old remodeled castle. Striding over to one side of the parapet with crenellations and looking down, she could see figures, most likely some former classmates, lounging on the newly trimmed grass and briefly wondered if they should be doing that—the Lance Corporal probably wouldn't appreciate it, not to mention their blatant display of laziness even if it was a Sunday afternoon. Not that she cared; she still had a grudge against that hateful shorty for being so cruel to Eren during the trial, and since adapting to life here her feelings of animosity have only increased. She also spotted a few dedicated soldiers, probably experienced Survey Corps members, who were running laps around the compound. Some were partnered up and sparring while others were equipped with their 3DMGs and swinging from tree to tree at breakneck speeds, shaded by the foliage and only visible at certain vantage points.

Armin came to stand next to her, peering down as well. "They probably shouldn't be on the grass." He commented offhandedly, shaking his head in a disapproving manner.

Mikasa rested her forearms on the stone parapet and leaned out, craning her neck to get a better view of the activity down below. "Do you think we can see where Eren is from here?"

"I doubt it." Armin mirrored her stance and scanned the landscape. "They probably wouldn't want to do any experiments close by in case anything goes wrong."

Mikasa sharply turned to look at him, her fists clenching and her eyes wide in what he recognized as the first stage of panic. He immediately put up both hands in a soothing manner and reassured her in what he hoped came off as whole-heartedly. "Not that anything will go wrong. Eren will be just fine, I believe in him."

In all honesty, he was a bit worried himself, given what had happened back in Trost. It was a huge relief that Eren was able to get a hold of himself in the end to complete the task, but it had taken way too long and countless lives were lost while he struggled for control. Eren had confided in him and Mikasa a few days ago that Lance Corporal Levi's squad was always wary of him—everyone else in the Survey Corps was to a certain extent, although only some actively showed it. But it was only natural, as the Special Ops' mission was to keep an eye on him at all times. He was still an unknown threat, although they were slowly beginning to learn to trust each other after the whole unexpected Titan arm transformation fiasco a little more than a week ago. Back then, Armin hadn't been a member of the Survey Corps yet, but he had heard all of this from Eren. He was glad that his best friend was finally being treated more like one of their own rather than being labeled as only a monster. Neither Armin nor Mikasa had ever doubted him, and they would continue to trust him indefinitely and aid him in any way that they could.

"I believe in him." Armin declared again with complete confidence. Mikasa visibly relaxed then, and he cleared his throat to bring up a topic that was perhaps equally as sensitive, since it did involve the same person. "So…how do you feel about Eren?" He tried to sound as casual and conversational as possible.

Dumbfounded, she stared at him. "What?" Realization dawned on her a second later, and her cheeks instantly flushed. "Did Eren tell you…?"

"Yeah, he did."

When she made to turn away in embarrassment, Armin put a comforting hand over her own, causing her to still. "What he said must have been the truth, but I also want to hear it from you."

"I…" She pulled the scarf up her face so that it covered her nose and part of the raging blush that was still rapidly spreading. Her confession was muffled into the fabric, but Armin knew what he heard.

He squeezed her hand and grinned broadly. "Well, at least you're brave enough to admit it. Jean and I talked to him today, and it was almost impossible to get him to listen without interrupting in disbelief just about every other sentence."

"Jean?" Mikasa narrowed her eyes in confusion. "What did you tell Eren?" He definitely hadn't imagined the nervous hitch in her voice and fought back a cringe when she tightly gripped his hand.

Armin gently eased his hand out of her grasp and patted her hand. "Just things that Eren wasn't consciously aware of…things that Jean and I witnessed." He said vaguely, giving her a meaningful look. When he caught her bewildered expression, he elaborated, "Like when you nearly gave up on life when Eren…was eaten." He released a shaky breath—thinking about how close he had been to losing both of them that day still made him distressed—but pressed on, "And when you held him and cried after he emerged from his Titan body. Just instances that prove your devotion to him."

Mikasa ripped her hand away as if it had been burned, her expression hard and eyes flashing with subdued anger. "Why did you tell him all of that? Eren doesn't need to know, he already has too much on his mind! Were you trying to make him feel guilty?" She whirled away from him, directing her glare at the scenery.

Speechless, Armin was hardly aware that his jaw had dropped. He hadn't expected her to react so defensively—and on Eren's behalf. Well, on second thought, perhaps he should have anticipated this. Looking down at his shuffling feet, he anxiously wrung his hands in front of him. "I'm sorry, Mikasa, I didn't realize this was such a big deal to you…but I do think that he should know. I wasn't trying to make him feel guilty; I just wanted him to understand how much you care about him. I've always believed that you're good for him, Mikasa. From the day we first met up until now—he's needed you beside him, and I know that he will need you even more in the future. He's so blinded by pain and vengeance that he doesn't see anything else and takes you for granted. It's not fair to you, and I just want him to finally realize that."

The black-haired girl gave the perceptive boy a sidelong glance and sighed softly. "I know that your intentions are good, Armin. They always are." She furrowed her brows in thought. "Of course Eren needs me beside him, he won't survive without me and I could never let that happen. Not again." Her face tightened, and he could swear that her passionate and fierce resolve gave her an intimidating aura. "I_ need_ to protect him, he's the reason I'm still here. But every time he pushes me away, I just—" Her voice broke, and he thought there was moisture building up in her eyes. "I can't take it." She turned to him then, and her forlorn expression made his heart ache.

Armin reached over and firmly took both of her hands in his. "I know, Mikasa. I can't say that I understand exactly how you feel, but I can see it whenever we're together. Before I continue, let me just ask you something." His serious blue eyes hardened ever-so-slightly. "Do you love Eren because you feel indebted to him?"

She looked taken aback at first, her dark eyes wide and swimming with powerful emotions. "I would be lying if I said that wasn't the case at first. That night…scarred me for life, and I will be forever grateful to him for rescuing me, welcoming me to his home, and giving me a reason to live on. I was born anew, Armin…for him." The blond boy nodded supportively, and she took a deep breath.

"I do love him for what he's done for me." Mikasa could feel the heat creeping up her cheeks. "But I love him even more for who he is."

Satisfied with her honest answer and not at all surprised, Armin beamed at her earnestly. "I'm so happy for you, Mikasa. You and Eren are the two most important people in my life, and no one deserves happiness more than you two. He's somehow under the false impression that you constantly protect him because you still feel indebted to him. So _please_ talk to him, tell him what you just told me, make him_ truly_ understand the depths of your feelings for him. After listening to what Jean and I had to say, I believe he's been seriously reevaluating his actions." His mind flashed back to how restless and angry Eren had been during lunch.

Mikasa was silent as she contemplated the words of one of the two people she wouldn't hesitate to entrust her life with. She suddenly recalled Sasha's encouragement from earlier today. _Live in the moment._ Warmth blossoming deep inside her chest, she was thankful to have such wonderful and selfless people around her. Mikasa pulled him into a crushing hug and whispered, "Thank you, Armin."

He chuckled a bit breathlessly from being squeezed so tightly but nevertheless reciprocated her embrace. "I want you two to be happy."

"You always come up with the best solution to everything, so I know that you're right." She leaned back to look him in the eye, her boundless trust in him openly displayed. "I'll talk to him."

Armin didn't know if he would ever get used to such praise from his friends, but he accepted it with a humble smile. Glancing over the stone ledge again, he noted in an almost entertained voice, "Oh look, they're getting yelled at…not by the Lance Corporal though. I believe he's where Eren is at the moment. Who do you reckon that is, Mikasa?"

* * *

**2:45 PM**

"Okay, Eren, I think that's enough."

The Titan shifter nodded and made to sever the ties his right hand had with the flesh of the Titan arm. He struggled for a few moments, bracing himself before finally pulling free. Unlike the accidental transformation a while ago, he was ready this time and landed more gracefully on one knee rather than sprawled on his back. The Titan arm started to disintegrate, and Hange regarded it with an expression that was both awestruck and regretful at the same time.

"Isn't it so strange how it just disappears? Vaporizes into thin air?" She asked dreamily. Turning to Eren, she grinned merrily and let out a big whoop. "We've made progress! Since discovering that you need to picture a clear goal on top of drawing blood, this is the first time you've managed to successfully transform while being fully aware of yourself. Nice work, Eren!"

"But I wasn't able to completely transform." He grumbled dejectedly, wiping the sweat from the afternoon sun off of his face. He felt grimy and wished that they could have performed these experiments under the shade of the trees instead of a large meadow where there was nothing blocking the sun from beating down on his back.

"It's okay, Eren, one step at a time!" Hange chirped animatedly. "And besides, you were able to transform twice today. Your left arm once and then your right arm, so it's still improvement! Although I wonder why you weren't able to control them and perform other tasks after finishing the initial task at hand. The objective we set for the transformation of your left arm was to destroy the branch of that tree over there, and it did just that and nothing else, huh? You'd think that since it's such a light structure, there would be no problem lifting it, but of course it's all about mental control rather than physical…perhaps it's because the goal was too specific?" She pondered with a frown, tapping her pen against her chin.

"Eren." The Lance Corporal's authoritative voice came from behind him. Eren internally winced and steeled himself for a rebuke; Levi didn't sound pleased at all. Leading his squad from their observational positions among the trees, he pulled on the reins and his horse stopped a few feet in front of the boy who was trying to not cower. From this height, Levi could easily stare him down—although he never had any problems doing so while on his feet either. "You piss-poor brat. Were you even trying?" His tone was clipped and callous.

Hange opened her mouth to speak but held her tongue when he shot her a sharp look. Eren looked down in shame, unable to bring himself to meet Levi's harsh glare and the almost sympathetic but still cautious looks on the other members of the Special Ops Squad. Only Petra managed a tentative smile that wasn't convincing, but at least it wasn't as unnerving.

"I'm sorry, Corporal Levi." Eren apologized glumly, mentally kicking himself for failing yet again. "I just couldn't do a whole body transformation on the spot."

"It's not his fault, Levi." Hange quickly defended, putting a comforting hand on the discouraged boy's shoulder. "The goals that we tested out today all seemed to not require a full body transformation but rather just different parts of the body in order to be accomplished. It was my fault for not devising experiments that would ensure movement of the entire body. 'Kill the Titans,' 'Defend against the cannonball,' 'Lift that boulder to seal the wall'…all of them are rather broad but still clear objectives and allow for the freedom of movement, thus utilizing the entire body and making a full transformation necessary."

Levi's cold expression did not waver, and he remarked disparagingly, "I'm sure you didn't just realize this and presented such a scenario to him during the experiment, but he still wasn't able to fully transform." He took her silence for admittance. "Eren, could it be that you're unwilling to transform?"

"What?" The boy in question looked horrified at such a prospect. "No, sir—"

"Are you scared of losing your limbs in the event we have to cut you out of your Titan form?"

"No, sir, I understand that it might be necessary." Eren shook his head obstinately, even though the thought of them potentially not regenerating did scare him shitless. It was risky—and if he was having a hard time trusting himself, he could understand why the others were even more on guard.

"Then what the fuck is it?" Levi growled impatiently, his glare intensifying. "Is there something else on your mind?"

"No…" The Titan shifter trailed off, but he knew deep down that his squad leader was right. Throughout these experiments, he had found his thoughts wandering back to a face and voice that he knew just as well as his own. He had mentally reprimanded himself each time he zoned out, but not once did it draw all of his attention back to the experiments. He had wanted to snort at the irony of it all; she was always around when he didn't want her to be, but now that he did want her close by, she was elsewhere. Eren was caught between wanting to cry out in frustration and ditching everything—priorities be damned—to go seek her out. What the hell was wrong with him? Feeling Hange's intent gaze on him, he looked over just in time to see her hide a knowing smile.

"Whatever the fuck it is, get it out of the way so that you're mentally focused and in perfect condition to train tomorrow." Levi heaved an irritated sigh. "Since you did _slightly_ improve from last time and I need you to be in tip-top shape, I won't punish you just yet. But mark my words, Eren—figure it out because you're holding back the team. We need you to be able to transform upon order and without any distractions." His steely eyes made Eren flinch. "Only in the case of an emergency, of course."

"Yes, sir." The gray-eyed boy saluted with a curled fist over his heavy heart. The Lance Corporal was right; the others depended just as much on him as he did on them. There wasn't time for him to allow personal matters to interfere with his responsibilities as a soldier of the Survey Corps. _What does it look like to you? Who's the enemy?_ Commander Erwin's words echoed forebodingly in his head. Something big was going to happen, and they needed to be ready to meet it.

"Eren, I'm going to think about what I discovered today some more and let you know any additional findings later." Hange mused, glancing at her subordinates standing by and indicating with her hand to pack up. "I don't think we'll have time for further experiments until after this upcoming expedition…I had time today, but with the next few weeks leading up to it, we'll all be very busy. General training in formation takes priority."

Levi nodded curtly, having been told the same thing by Erwin. "We're going back to headquarters. Do the same after wrapping things up here." He slanted his eyes back to Eren and almost gagged after really looking at him and getting a good whiff. Bringing a hand up to pinch his nose, humanity's strongest soldier uncomfortably adjusted his white cravat with the other hand. "You reek of shitty Titan and sweat. The first thing you're going to do is take a fucking shower." Much to Eren's chagrin, the rest of the Special Ops Squad along with Hange's squad guffawed and snickered, some louder than others.

"I don't smell anything." Hange stated in confusion, leaning into the boy's personal space and sniffing. "You smell fine to me."

"Squad Leader, it's most likely because you're used to it from spending time with him on these experiments." Keiji piped up logically from where he was stuffing a stack of paper into a satchel. Hange made a sound of enlightenment.

Promptly ignoring them and giving the clearing one last sweep with his eyes, Levi turned his horse around without another word and headed back into the dense cluster of trees. Petra, Auruo, Eld, and Gunther followed closely behind. All of them exchanged looks as they heard him mumble something along the lines of "check on those stupid brats" and "can't clean."

Eren couldn't suppress the sigh of relief that escaped from his mouth as he watched them disappear from view. Hange gave him an amused look and handed him a flask of water that he gratefully accepted. "Come on, Eren, let's go. Your girl's waiting for you." He choked on the water, inelegantly spewing out a mouthful and coughing violently as he gawked at the crazy woman. She laughed gleefully, having way too much fun teasing him at his expense. "Ah, she's not your girl just yet, eh? Mikasa Ackerman was it? I've heard a great deal about her stellar skills as a soldier. Quite a catch, that one."

Instead of feeling a surge of bitterness like he usually did when the superiors praised Mikasa in front of him for being so accomplished, he just felt a strong pang of guilt. But he was very aware that just yesterday his initial reaction would have been to lash out at her, even though she didn't do anything to deserve such treatment. Armin and Jean were right—he really was an ignorant, emotionally-driven first-class asshole.

Thoroughly embarrassed and vexed at himself, Eren didn't say anything, and Hange was content to bask in the silence and pack up the rest of her belongings. He grabbed the reins of his horse and hoisted himself up onto the saddle, his eyes straying towards the direction of the castle. _Finally._ He couldn't bring himself to feel guilty for wanting to set aside his duties for the day and just get all of these adults off his case. His next objective was clear in his mind, and soon enough his inner turmoil involving a certain overprotective and overachieving girl would be resolved. Agitated, Eren tousled his hair as he planned out what he was going to say. How many apologies did he owe her?

* * *

**Simultaneously**

Mikasa adjusted her 3DMG straps and equipment, making sure that they fit snugly and wouldn't be a hindrance as she ran laps. She had changed into her workout attire but currently donned her uniform over it, complete with the green cape that sported the Wings of Freedom. Under the scorching afternoon sun, most of the people out and about had chosen to substitute their uniforms with workout gear and more heat-friendly attire like tanks and shorts. However, she was very disciplined when it came to training and knew that it was best if she simulated the circumstances they would be in outside of the walls as closely as possible—in uniform, with 3DMG, and on horseback. There was a reason why she had graduated at the top of her class. Horses weren't going to be assigned to the new recruits until training tomorrow, so for the time being she had to do everything else she could to prepare herself both physically and mentally for the best and worst possible situations and everything in between.

Stretching her limbs out, she caught sight of Jean's approaching jogging figure. He was in uniform as well but without the cape and maneuvering gear. Judging by his current state, he had already circled the castle a few times. He had spotted her as soon as he had turned the bend; it seemed like his eyes were just always naturally drawn to her. It was a bit obsessive and almost borderline creepy that he recently found himself restraining the urge to talk to her every time he sensed her presence. In his defense, she was often within the vicinity just because she tried to be wherever Eren was whenever possible—that thought left a sour taste in the envious boy's mouth.

It was always _Eren_.

But not today; it appeared that the idiot was nowhere in sight and probably still partaking in whatever experiments Jean had overheard the 4th Squad Leader discussing during lunch. The onset of fatigue he was feeling in his legs suddenly didn't weigh him down in the least, and he felt a strange burst of renewed energy. When her cool gaze landed on him from a few feet ahead, his already racing heart picked up tenfold. "Mikasa."

She subtly nodded in greeting. "Do you mind if I join you?"

Invigorated, he almost tripped in a mix of pleasant surprise and apprehension. "Uh, sure."

"Thanks." When he reached her, she jogged beside him, easily keeping up with his steady pace. He couldn't help but wonder why she would possibly want to run with him—he was by no means complaining, far from it, but this was a first. A somewhat awkward silence fell between them, and Jean wracked his brain for something, _anything_, to say. Preferably something clever to make her smile just for him. This was his chance! However, her soft voice beat him to it.

"Thank you, Jean."

Startled and wondering if he had heard correctly, he whipped his head to the left to stare at her. She was looking straight ahead, her face aloof as usual. He gulped, a furious blush overtaking his face. "W-Why are you thanking me?" _Ugh, real smooth, Kirstein._

"Armin told me that the two of you talked to Eren this morning…I just wanted to thank you for that." She said matter-of-factly. Looking at him out of the corner of her eye, she added, "Thank you for caring about me."

Jean wanted to slap his forehead in aggravation. Of course Armin would tell her…but this wasn't the conversation he had wanted to have with her! Silence descended upon them again as she waited for him to say something. Fighting to speak over his body's natural reaction to pant from exertion as he continued his consistent pace, he licked his lips before answering, "Yeah." He cast her a furtive glance and took a leap of faith. "I care about you more than you think." _Ah, good one, Kirstein._ He mentally applauded himself.

Carefully concealing her surprise, Mikasa blinked a few times before gracing him with a small smile that Jean couldn't help but gape at. It was the most glorious sight he had ever beheld. He resisted fist pumping—it seemed like the gods were shining favorably upon him today. But this short-lived victory took an ill-fated crash landing at her next words.

"I'm glad to have you as a friend, Jean."

"Huh?" Spluttering, he blanched and felt his heart clench as his movements came to an abrupt halt in his stupor. "I—"

Noticing that he had stopped running, Mikasa slowed down to a stop and looked at him questioningly. "Are you tired?"

"No…" Jean managed to rasp out, still looking at her in shock. He desperately wanted to say something, but the words wouldn't form. Was this the heartbreaking and agonizing pain of being "friend-zoned" that Connie had described to him once?

"You should rest, Jean. You don't look well." She took in their relative location. "We're close to the front gates, so you should head back inside. I'm meeting Krista at the gym after two more laps."

"I…" He swallowed thickly and met her gaze that almost seemed concerned if he didn't know better. "I'll be fine…" It was a lie, the worst lie in the history of lies, but of course she didn't spend too much time dwelling on it. She only really cared about a few people…one gray-eyed, short-tempered, Titan shifting killer in particular.

Nodding, Mikasa bent down and pulled up her boots more securely. "I'll see you later then." As she made to turn away, something suddenly occurred to her and her dark eyes shifted back to his. Jean felt what was left of his tiny microscopic faith in humanity weakly swell in hope.

"Do you know if Eren is back yet?"

And it was gone. Completely and utterly trampled on. Along with his poor shattered heart. There wasn't even anything left to wipe onto an unsuspecting Connie's back.

Uncomfortable with the stiff silence that stretched between them, Mikasa gave him an almost imperceptible nod before taking off to circle the castle two more times. Jean could only stare pitifully after her like a puppy that had its favorite toy taken away, his eyes watering from the dust lingering in the air in the wake of her departure—there was no way he was crying, not him. He had always known that she was out of his league on many levels, but that didn't make it hurt any less. Eren Jaeger was the shittiest and luckiest bastard around, and he had better realize it already.

* * *

**This ended up being more emotional than I originally anticipated. I feel bad for Jean...but it's just not meant to be, bro. If you feel inclined to leave a review, please do so—I love hearing from you guys! Okay the next chapter is definitely the final one: the talk and more! I think I've put it off for long enough.**


	4. Lovestruck Brats

**Thanks for all of the encouraging reviews, favorites, and follows! ****You guys give me the motivation to update as fast as I can, so this is it; brace yourselves, this is nearly twice as long as the previous chapters at slightly more than 8k words. **Shout out to Hauksenomaru for suggesting that I introduce Reiner and Bertolt, you're awesome! Just a quick note that in the last section, I took a few lines of dialogue from the anime and manga—I'm sure you guys will be able to tell. Oh, and there's the most swearing, angst, and fluff in this chapter, just a heads up. Without further ado, it's EreMika time!

* * *

**Chapter 4: Lovestruck Brats**

**3:57 PM**

Eren turned off the water and grabbed the two towels hanging over the shower door, securing the larger one around his waist and draping the smaller one around his neck to catch the beads of water dripping from his wet hair. He opened the door and stepped out, looking around to make sure the coast was clear before hightailing it to the boy's locker room that was located next to the row of shower stalls and across the length of the bathroom from the girl's locker room. He was always paranoid that a girl would come walking in just as he was getting out of the shower; in his opinion, the shower stalls really should be separated by gender and even situated in the locker rooms rather than out in the shared space.

When he had curiously asked Petra—among the veteran soldiers, she was the most approachable—about this, she had informed him that the Survey Corps used to only enlist men and as this was their old headquarters, there had been no need for gender designated areas. In fact, the girl's locker room wasn't even officially a locker room; it was a relatively spacious bathroom storage closet that the girls had just decided to use to serve this purpose. Eren personally thought that wasn't fair to them, but Petra had merely smiled and said that they didn't have the funds to make hygienic routines more comfortable. Apparently Corporal Levi had tried to push for this for his own personal clean freak reasons— girls had a nasty habit of leaving behind tendrils of hair all over the shower stall, and that was _not_ sanitary—but to no avail.

Ah, well. None of the girls had complained about the arrangements, and he supposed that this was probably the least of their problems in the grand scheme of things. He was just glad that he hadn't been subjected to any awkward encounters in the bathroom yet.

Last night was an exception.

As he rummaged through his locker for a clean pair of underwear, his thoughts strayed back to Mikasa's drunken behavior and how it had felt to have her soft lips touching his own. Eren started at that, growing distastefully warm. _That_ had been on his mind more than he liked to admit—it perplexed him to no end and while he hadn't particularly enjoyed it as he had been caught off guard, he found himself now thinking that this foreign sensation wasn't an unpleasant one. Quite the opposite actually, and he wouldn't be that opposed to experiencing it again.

Eren thumped his head against his locker door, scolding himself for wanting such a thing from _Mikasa_ of all people. She was his _family_, and family didn't do stuff like that! It was strictly impossible for her to be anything more than that…right? His head was swimming with confusing and conflicting thoughts—he really needed to find her and get this sorted out. Right now. Quickly slipping into his clothes and toweling off his hair, he sat down on the bench and started to pull on his boots. Just then, from out of his peripheral vision, two figures appeared under the locker room doorway, blocking the natural sunlight shining in through the bathroom windows and casting long and imposing shadows across the floor. He warily swung to his right to see who they were, hoping that it wasn't anyone in the Special Ops Squad cornering him for some other task.

Sporting a good-natured grin, Reiner lifted a hand in salutation. "Eren." Beside him, Bertolt smiled in a friendly but still rather hesitant manner. Even after being in the company of one another for so long, the guy could really use periodic boosts of self-esteem or something.

"Reiner, Bertolt." Visibly relaxing, the gray-eyed boy greeted them as he stood up and closed his locker door. "What have you guys been up to?"

"Nothing much." The burly blond shrugged nonchalantly and made his way to his locker, which was three down from Eren's. The tall green-eyed boy quietly followed suit. "We just came from the gym. It's actually pretty packed in there—surprising considering that it's a Sunday afternoon. You'd think that people would rather take a long afternoon nap instead."

Eren snorted in dry amusement before grousing, "Well, it sounds like fun compared to what I had to go through." He didn't bother obscuring the whiny petulance in his voice.

There was a pregnant pause, and the only sound that could be heard was Bertolt clumsily fumbling with his towels as he retrieved them from inside his locker.

Having gathered everything he needed for a shower, Reiner turned to look at Eren with an inquisitive gaze and asked in what sounded like genuine interest, "Ah, right I overheard the researcher talking about those experiments today during lunch. How are things going?"

"Slowly." The dark-haired boy murmured half-heartedly, his shoulders slumping sullenly on their own accord as if his burdens physically weighed him down. "This whole transformation deal is so unpredictable…I'm still trying to learn how to control it." He balled up his fists in frustration and gnashed his teeth. "Everyone's depending on me. I wish there was someone who understands what I'm going through and can guide me through this process, or even just give me a hint." He frowned and shook his head. "What am I even saying?"

Reiner appeared to be mulling over his words, humming thoughtfully. "Yeah, humanity's last hope, huh? That's some title to live up to." The boy with golden eyes drawled lightheartedly. When Eren made a face, Reiner chuckled and reached over to place a sturdy hand on his shoulder. "Just take it easy, I'm sure you'll figure it out before you know it."

Bertolt spoke up for the first time from behind the blond. "In the meantime, you can rely on the rest of us."

The Titan shifter looked from Reiner's confident smirk to Bertolt's tentative nod in agreement. The two of them always seemed to know exactly how to lift his spirits when he was feeling down and cracking under the pressure. Reiner was like a big brother figure who gave the best advice, and Bertolt was not a boy of many words but emanated a soothing aura whenever he was present. They were easy to talk to, and Eren greatly appreciated their willingness to listen.

"Thanks." His lips tugged up in what was the start of a smile.

"Anytime." Reiner gave him a hearty slap on the back, his eyes gleaming in mischief. "Hey, do you guys think we can mess with the Lance Corporal's locker and get away with it?"

"Reiner!" Bertolt admonished his childhood friend, appalled at the thought of committing such a deed.

"What? That midget made me sweep the hallway floor again just because I missed a few spots! Why didn't he force you to do the same, huh? He must have some sort of grudge against me!" The blond objected heatedly, looking thoroughly put out.

"Oh no, leave me out of this." Eren lithely jumped over the bench and dashed towards the exit without a second thought. Corporal Levi was bound to track down the culprits behind it, and they probably wouldn't live to see another day.

"Get back here, Jaeger!" Reiner called after him in a mock threatening manner.

Laughing silently under his breath, Eren made his escape and yanked open the bathroom door—only to collide with another body, knocking his forehead against the other person's. Head slightly throbbing from the impact, he was overcome by a feeling of déjà vu as he instinctively grabbed the person in front of him to steady them both, his throat constricting and breath shortening when their eyes locked. He barely noticed the door sway back and jolted a bit when it hit his side. It came to a rest as he moved his left foot to keep it propped open.

Well, this was convenient.

Mikasa stared at the subject of her jumbled thoughts in shock; she hadn't expected to just bump into him like this, but it was a pleasant surprise nonetheless. Just a few minutes ago, the Lance Corporal had stalked into the gym appearing to be in a fouler mood than usual. Everyone was conscious of the rumor that on certain days, the infamous Levi's temper varied throughout the day in a cycle: it increased exponentially throughout the morning, reached a plateau in the afternoon, and gradually dwindled back down throughout the evening so that he could sleep at night. Those in the gym saw the truth in it for themselves, and many had fled from the scene, intimidated by the possibility of becoming his punching bag.

However, for her, his appearance had signified something else entirely. Mikasa herself had promptly dropped the weights she was lifting, mumbled a hasty goodbye to the other girls who looked like they wanted to leave as well, picked up her belongings, and raced out the door, making her way directly towards the bathroom to shower and finally seek out Eren. It had been her shortest workout to date, but he was more important—no, the _most_ important.

She felt her face grow hot as she became astutely aware of their body contact and just how close in proximity they were to each other. His fresh musky scent overpowered her senses, and it took all of her willpower to restrain herself from reaching up and running her hands through his dark locks that were still glistening with water droplets—well, not that she was exactly in a favorable position to do so. His grip on her bare upper arms was firm, and as if just realizing it himself his eyes darted down to where their skin was touching.

Whoa, she was all muscle and yet still soft…he had always known that she was fit, but _wow_. He found himself inwardly marveling at the dichotomy and quite unable to tear his gaze away. She was clothed in a white sports bra and purple shorts, clutching her outerwear and scarf to her chest. Oh shit, her _abs_. They were nicer than his! But the borderline resentful thought disappeared almost as soon as it had crossed his mind because that well-defined six-pack was certainly a majestic sight to behold, even if it was partially covered by the items in her arms. When she cleared her throat, Eren's wandering dilated eyes snapped back to hers.

"You—oh, am I interrupting something?" Reiner's suave tone came from behind him. Eren whipped his head around to gape at him, and the towel-clad blond snickered, unabashedly winking at the girl who glared in return. The dark-haired boy had the sudden possessive urge to shield her from other eyes and perhaps land a punch on the blond for good measure. "Don't mind me, please carry on." Reiner grinned suggestively as he gave them a wave before disappearing out of view, whistling as he headed towards the showers.

"Eren." Mikasa's gentle voice drew his attention back to her face that would have appeared to be serene if not for the distinct pink tinge on her pale complexion.

"Mikasa, we need to talk." He rushed to say in one breath, feeling oddly anxious. There really wasn't a logical reason for him to be—it was _Mikasa_! He had always been the most at ease around her…when she wasn't babying him, that is.

He had stolen the words right out of her mouth. She nodded and searched his silver eyes, a bit taken aback by the fierce intensity and determination shining in them. "I just need to shower first."

"Oh, right." He tried his best to not sound impatient and a tad disappointed. "I'll wait for you outside then."

"Okay."

A few seconds ticked by, and he still had not budged from his spot. He seemed content to just continue roaming his eyes over her face, drinking in the exotic features that somehow never captured his attention like this in the past. He had always only glanced at her face in passing, never really taking the time to appreciate every single detail. This was not to say he hadn't noticed how she's changed over the years—of course he knew that she had always been pretty, but he had always just left it at that and never bothered to notice anything in particular that made her pretty. However, now that he was _really_ looking at her and close enough to count her eyelashes, it felt like he was seeing her in a different light. And he was enthralled. Had her eyes always been this cat-like? His attention drifted down to her slightly parted lips, and he found his eyes tracing the curve of her upper lip. _Oh god no._

"Eren." He was utterly mesmerized by the way they shaped his name.

She was expecting a response, some indication that he was listening. Why did his throat feel so dry? He could really use some water. Licking his lips and reluctantly tearing his gaze away from those luscious lips, he managed an ever-so eloquent, "Huh?"

She pointedly looked down at where his hands were still latched onto her arms, moving them for emphasis. Eren's grip slackened immediately and his entire body jerked back as if it had been shocked. He was appraising her with that unfathomable expression again and looked like he wanted to say something, but abruptly shook his head to himself and brushed past her out the door. "Later. Meet me by the well."

Mikasa took a few unstable steps into the bathroom and let the door swing shut behind her before leaning her back against it, inhaling a lungful of air in a feeble attempt to calm her heart that was racing in overdrive. What had he just done to her? She had never been _this_ affected by him, and he had never bothered to scrutinize her like _that_ before…his gaze had burned in a pleasant way, a way that made her feel that—dare she think it—buried under all of the responsibilities and burdens, pain and vengeance, he felt something too. She prayed that her unchecked emotions had not been displayed all over her face, but she had never been able to control her overwhelming feelings around Eren, and he could usually read her like an open book. So it was actually a great surprise that he hadn't been able to figure out the extent of her feelings for him yet. Quietly sighing and smothering her face into the worn scarf on top of her pile of clothes, she took a few deep breaths. Her head shot up at the sound of approaching footsteps from the direction of the boy's locker room.

Bertolt was visibly startled by her presence and flashed her a timid smile before hastily wrapping the towel more tightly around his waist and scuttling into the closest available shower stall. Unperturbed, Mikasa watched him hustle by in wry amusement and crossed the length of the bathroom to put her clothes down in the makeshift girl's locker room. She needed to hurry—Eren was waiting for her. Blinking a few times at that alien thought, she blushed crimson.

* * *

**4:32 PM**

Eren sat perched on the rim of the well, absentmindedly drumming his fingers on the stone surface and disinterestedly taking in the view around him. It had probably only been around fifteen minutes since he and Mikasa had temporarily parted ways, but he was growing more restless by the second and was relieved to be outside; the fresh air cleared his mind and cooled his body temperature—for whatever reason, it had been suffocating inside the castle.

Based on what had just transpired in the bathroom, he was in trouble. He couldn't fathom for the life of him what had possessed him to openly admire her face and figure like he had. So was it safe to conclude that he found her…physically appealing? He couldn't deny that upon perusal, the most captivating feature on her face was her lips, closely followed by her eyes. He reprimanded himself for the second time within the span of thirty minutes that this was _Mikasa_. What the fuck was wrong with him? He was acting and thinking like a sick pervert and that observation alone made him shiver in horror.

His unrelenting tapping suddenly ceased as a terrifying thought occurred to him. Was he attracted to her because she was Mikasa? Or would he be attracted to any other girl if he stared at her for long enough? Was he asking himself some extremely stupid and ignorant questions right now? He had no idea.

At that exact moment, Sasha came jogging around the stables and would soon pass by the well. As she drew near, she caught sight of him and smiled pleasantly. He was somewhat surprised that she wasn't lurking around the kitchen and hoarding food while everyone was busy minding his or her own business. Deciding that he could use this opportunity to answer a few of these questions plaguing his mind, he leaped away from the well and beckoned her over. "Sasha, do you have a minute?"

"Huh?" She slowed down to a walk and stopped in front of him, curiosity written all over her face. "Sure, what's the matter?" Slightly panting, she wiped the back of her hand across her mouth, and he resisted pulling a face.

Eren was silent as he took a step forward and stared hard at her, narrowing his eyes in concentration. Her amber eyes reflected the bewilderment she felt. "Are we having a staring contest?"

"Yeah, sure." He muttered distractedly, grimacing a bit at the evident trace of crumbs on her right cheek. How did she even manage to get food anywhere on her face other than inside her mouth?

"Oh, I'm really good at this! Prepare to lose!" She cackled in delight, clapping her hands together. "Ready? 3…2…1…and—"

"No, I'm done." He backed away and restored the comfortable distance between them, having seen enough.

"What!" Sasha exclaimed indignantly with a pout, crossing her arms over her chest and stomping her right foot twice. "You're no fun, Eren."

"What are you guys doing?" Krista's marginally breathless voice carried over from where she and Ymir were rounding the bend and rapidly approaching. When the blonde came to a halt next to Sasha, Eren gave her a once over that went unnoticed by everyone except for Ymir, who arched an intrigued eyebrow. He frowned to himself and moved on to the taller and darker girl who lifted her other eyebrow as he gave her the same treatment. She was just about to blatantly inquire why he was checking them out when a menacing voice interrupted.

"Eren, what's going on here?"

The boy in question stiffened and whirled around, finding himself facing an unhappy and fresh-out-of-the-shower Mikasa. The late afternoon sun made her wet hair glow, and he felt uncharacteristically shy all of a sudden—especially after what he had just discovered about himself. The three spectators had their eyes glued onto the unfolding scene before them, too engrossed to even consider giving them some privacy. Annoyed by their uninhibited interest, Eren rubbed the back of his neck. "Come on, Mikasa, let's go somewhere else."

Without waiting for her reply, he reached over and clasped her left hand in his right, tugging her along as he guided them away from those probing eyes. He led her under a grand cypress tree and glanced around. Survey Corps members usually practiced with their 3DMGs in this area, but luckily it seemed like everyone was done for now.

At last, it was time.

Keeping the firm grip he had on her hand even though his hand was definitely getting clammy—it couldn't be hers, she's _Mikasa_—he twisted around and looked at her. He often wished he were taller. Since he couldn't beat her in skill, stamina, or strength, wanting to just be taller didn't seem like too much to ask for. But thinking about it now, being the same height had its advantages; he always had a direct view of her face and the delicate flush that was currently spreading across it. However, at the same time, he always had a front row seat whenever her face fell and her watering eyes hid behind loose strands of hair as she mustered up all of her courage to not appear to be hurt by his rejection.

"I'm sorry." He blurted before his currently dormant but defiant pride could become an obstacle, catching the stunned look in her eyes. "For all of the pain you've suffered through because of me. I've made you worry about me, made you cry, made you nearly…" As he recalled what Armin and Jean had told him, his sharp intake of breath indicated just how much this was troubling him. "Give up on life…_again_. I didn't save you that night just to have you throw away everything, and it's all my fault."

"Eren…" Mikasa's free hand reached up to touch his face, but he stopped her before any contact was made, taking her right hand in his left and giving both of her hands a squeeze. Her voice was laced with sympathy, and he hated himself for it.

"Just hear me out, Mikasa." He pleaded with a gruff edge. "It's all my fault. For both of our sakes, I shouldn't have been so reckless that day. You even asked me to not die, and I just…it didn't occur to me then that it could happen. I remember thinking like an idiot that I wouldn't because I still haven't seen the outside world, but I know now that I would have died then if my Titan-shifting powers hadn't awakened. That moment when I realized I was in a Titan's fucking stomach was the closest I've ever been to _facing_ death. I mean, we've both seen it so many times, but experiencing it and feeling it for yourself is completely different." Eren shuddered in revulsion and terror, but pressed on, not quite able to meet her intense and rapt gaze. He let his eyes dart between her face and their surroundings. "The point is, not once did I consider how you felt…and Armin and Jean were right, I always let my emotions do the talking and act impulsively on them, so I've hurt you so many times without even realizing it. All of those times I pushed you away—I was always too caught up in my own feelings, too blinded and selfish to realize that I was hurting yours, even though you were right in front of me." He took a breath and looked deep into her expressive eyes, keeping his gaze steadfast. "I'm so sorry, Mikasa."

It was silent for a few tense moments as she took in his apology and gathered her own thoughts. "Eren, I forgive you." She watched his eyes widen by a fraction. "I'll always forgive you, so _please_…just don't push me away anymore and let me protect you. Especially now that you have these Titan-shifting powers, you're stronger but at the same time much more vulnerable while you're still in the process of learning how to control it. _Please_…I _need_ to." Her words were so pure and genuine, and he was wracked with guilt and shame as she looked at him imploringly, her raw emotions bare to him.

So it was time to address this particular issue they'd been butting heads on since day one. He braced himself, hoping he'd be able to break it to her gently.

"Mikasa, I appreciate your protection, I truly do, but sometimes you go overboard with it. Please understand when I say that I feel like I'm suffocating because of it…you know how much I _hate_ feeling helpless and useless, and I want to be able to figure things out on my own. I want to make mistakes without your interference so that I can learn from them and become stronger. Don't worry, I _will_ learn how to fully control this power—the fate of humanity is depending on it, so I will do whatever it takes to see that it's done." Heaving a sigh that was half in frustration and half in exasperation, he couldn't stifle the bitterness that leaked into his voice. "I have the Lance Corporal and his squad breathing down my neck already, so don't feel like you have to constantly watch over me and protect me because you feel indebted—"

"No, that's not it!" She interlaced their fingers and tightly gripped his hands. Trying to not wince as she mercilessly crushed the bones in his hands, he was startled by her vehement denial and the spark of unadulterated rage in her fiery dark pools; he had seen her flashing eyes directed at others, but never him—it was his first time as the victim, and he was finally starting to understand why others found her so powerful and intimidating. "I did feel indebted to you during a period of time, but that was years ago! I—I don't feel that way anymore." Mikasa's outburst subsided, and she expertly recomposed herself with years of practice.

Eren knew that what she had revealed was the truth, but he couldn't help feeling slightly skeptical. Why did she always feel the need to protect him then, if not to repay a debt? Her drunken behavior and words from the previous night suddenly resurfaced in his mind. Gliding his tongue across his upper lip and swallowing a bit nervously, he asked in a scratchy voice he could scarcely recognize as his own, "Then how do you feel now?"

Mikasa's grasp on his hands loosened as she regarded him with bright and wary eyes, the blush that had waned during their conversation returning with a vengeance. She looked distraught, torn between wanting to run away and bursting into tears, and the only thing he could do was stare at this unfamiliar but refreshing sight in awe. "I…" She faltered, biting her bottom lip—a small action that he immediately noticed and was strangely drawn to, despite his inner protests. "I meant what I said yesterday." Unable to confess what she had somehow easily admitted to Armin, she settled for a vague answer that hopefully quenched his thirst. She was struggling to follow through with the promise to tell him everything; Armin had insisted that she do so, but it was a much more daunting task than she had anticipated.

But of course, Eren chose today of all days to pry for clarity. Uncertain about which part of yesterday she was referring to, he tilted his head to the side. "Which part?"

Mikasa blinked at him, and to his silent amusement, her cheeks darkened in color. "All of it."

At that, he was assaulted by the prickly feeling that came with a flood of embarrassment. "You…you said that you love me." Averting his eyes and focusing on the rough bark of the neighboring tree, he could feel heat creeping up his face—that was beginning to happen way too often. When she didn't say anything, he swallowed thickly and continued to train his gaze on the tree, refusing to see her reaction as he quietly said, "You should already know that I care about you and…love you too." He held his breath, waiting in a strained and tortuous silence for her response. He didn't have to wait for long.

"No, you don't." The sadness in her tone was evident, and his eyes snapped back to hers in confusion. He knitted his eyebrows and opened his mouth to speak, but she retracted her right hand from his left and held it up to halt him. "Not in the same way."

"What—" He began in an accusing voice with a smidge of anger, only to be stunned into silence when her hand curled itself around his cheek and her thumb softly grazed his skin.

Her tiny smile seemed forced, wounded, a bit empty. "To you, I'm family. The love you feel naturally developed from all of the years we spent together. But to me, Eren…you're more than just that. The love I feel goes beyond family; you're not just the boy who took me into the comfort of his home, you're not just the boy I've been growing up with."

He could only balk at her open-mouthed, flabbergasted. This was doing absolutely nothing to alleviate the muddled thoughts rushing through his brain; rather, it was counterproductively adding to them, fueling them. "I-I don't think I understand…" He stammered pathetically, knowing that he sounded like a blockhead but was too shocked at the moment to care.

Mikasa smiled again, but this time it was affectionate and patient. "It's okay. I'll wait for you to figure it out for yourself…I just want you to know that this is how I really feel. In the meantime, I _will_ continue to protect you whenever I see the chance to. I'll try to understand that you want space to grow on your own, but I don't want you to get hurt and will not hesitate to jump in whenever necessary. It seems like in this upcoming expedition, we'll be separated so I won't be able to watch over you. But when I can, please just give me this much, Eren." The hand cupping his cheek skimmed up the length of his face to lightly brush his hair out of his eyes.

He gulped, his head still spinning from her previous statement. There was also something about her touch that puzzled him and coerced him into giving in. "Fine, okay…it just bothers me that you're so eager to risk your life to save mine. I know that you're strong, Mikasa, stronger than most, but you're _not_ invincible."

"I am as long as you're with me." Was her simple and straightforward reply.

Eren gaped at her, wondering how she could say such a crazy thing with so much conviction that he almost believed her himself. Had her will always been this compelling? Mikasa returned her hand to its new favorite position on the side of his face and ducked her head coyly, peering up at him from under her long black lashes. Shit, what's with that look and why did his throat feel so parched again? Before he could recover his wits, her next words sent him completely toppling off his axis and reeling in astonishment.

"Eren, can I kiss you?"

She wanted to kiss him…_again_? Hold on, did that mean she was attracted to him or what? How did his brain even connect kissing to attraction? Oh, right—it was because he had concluded from his brief investigation that Mikasa was the only one who managed to arouse his interest in a way that surpassed everything he knew of, beyond camaraderie and rivalry. He supposed that Sasha, Krista, and Ymir all had various features that made them pretty in different ways, but he hadn't felt a desire to kiss any of them. This girl before him, on the other hand, was the source of his newfound awareness. He knew that he was staring again like he had in the bathroom, but couldn't bring himself to control the sudden need to taste those lips that had been tempting him even before coming to terms with this attraction.

Acting impulsively like he had a habit of doing, he slipped his free hand behind her head and pulled her into him so that their chests were pressed together, eliciting a strangled gasp from her. He briefly noted the pleasant sensation of her erratic breaths tickling his lips and the rapid fluttering of her eyes before experimentally covering her parted lips with his own. Eren felt her sigh into his mouth and watched her eyes close before allowing his to shut as well. Yesterday's kiss had been unexpected, short, and one-sided—he had pulled away before he could even register what was happening. But _this_, this was certainly something and much better than he had imagined. His stomach exploded in a violent flurry of pesky butterflies.

Their hands that had been interlaced throughout their entire conversation remained intertwined and trapped between them, while the hand that brushed his face just moments ago dove into his hair, which was now dry. The hand that he had on the back of her head traveled down to rest comfortably on her waist, feeling her melt under his touch and applying just the slightest amount of pressure when Mikasa gently nipped his bottom lip. Where the _heck_ did she learn that move from? Inexplicably and irrationally consumed by a mixture of jealousy and anger, he retaliated with a harder bite. She flinched in surprise but seemed intent on aggressively winning like she always did, boldly tracing his upper lip with the tip of her tongue. He involuntarily shivered, quietly groaned in pleasure that he hadn't known existed, and allowed her to dominate for a few sweet seconds before turning the tables. The muffled moan she rewarded him with was music to his ears.

She was a formidable opponent, always at least ten steps ahead, but Eren had confidence that kissing was something he could finally best her in.

* * *

**7 minutes and 43 seconds later…**

Mikasa broke their lip-lock first, thoughtfully gazing at him through her half-lidded cat eyes. The hand woven through his hair drifted down to rest on his shoulder. After searching his molten silver eyes and seemingly finding what she had been looking for, her flushed face split into the most earnest and blissful smile that he had ever witnessed on _anyone_—let alone this girl standing before him who rarely even smiled. He couldn't blame her though because the depressing truth was that there hadn't been anything worth smiling about for a long time; he didn't remember himself when he had last been able to smile so honestly and freely. But seeing her like this made him feel strangely proud and want to please her with a grin of his own, so he did. It was sloppy and hurt his cheekbones, but it was also the closest he's felt to peace and satisfaction in years.

She leaned into him, placing her chin on the same shoulder her hand was resting on, and whispered into his ear, "I love you."

Wondering if he would ever get used to hearing her say that, he maneuvered the intimate hand on her waist over to the small of her back and dug his chin into her shoulder as well. Clearing his throat, he managed to say in a husky voice, "I know."

He still didn't quite understand the kind of love she had described to him, so until he was positively sure that he felt the same way, saying those three words back to her didn't seem right. As he breathed in the scent of her mostly dry hair, Eren pondered whether deep down, he actually loved her in the same way. If her feelings of love encompassed kissing and attraction, then it seemed like he already met some of the criteria. So did that mean…?

Holy Wall Maria, he really didn't have a clue. But he had an inkling that when it struck him, he was going to be in serious trouble. He was already beginning to feel an attachment that was too greedy to be deemed proper between family members, and it was frighteningly exciting.

* * *

**10:05 PM**

"What's got you in such a good mood, Mikasa?" Sasha asked curiously as she kicked off her boots and left them toppled over in the middle of the room. Watching from her bed, Krista wrinkled her nose in distaste—she remembered nearly tripping over them in the morning. Ymir was lying with an arm over her eyes as usual, but she was attentively listening.

Mikasa snapped out of her trance, quickly looking over at the brunette as pulled back her covers. "I don't know what you're talking about. We should all sleep soon; we have a long day of training in formation ahead of us." Her expression was carefully neutral, giving nothing away. She stoically turned back to the task of preparing for bed, oblivious to the knowing and smug looks the other three girls exchanged. The couple was completely unaware that the three of them had surreptitiously followed them and achieved in eavesdropping on their talk from their hiding spots among the trees—it was all thanks to their handy 3DMGs and Sasha's stealthy hunting techniques.

The ebony-haired soldier shrugged out of her jacket in a daze, replaying today's rush of events in her mind a bit giddily. She had figured out what the unfathomable look Eren sent her on occasion was. It reflected his true feelings and expressed what his voice couldn't. Reaching up to touch her still faintly tingling lips and secretly smiling to herself, Mikasa knew that he would realize it on his own in due time.

* * *

**One Week Later**

"Hey Jean, is it just me or does Eren look more…I don't know, _friendly_ these days? I probably sound insane, but I swear that he's actually lightened up and doesn't always look like he wants to kill some Titans." Connie paused, his eyes bulging at his sudden revelation. "Dude, he doesn't even want to kill _you _anymore!" He mused out loud from his bunk, scratching his head with one hand and stroking his chin with the other.

From the opposite bunk, the taller boy cracked open his eyes and glanced over with a deep scowl. "Don't do that, you look like a stupid monkey."

"Hey!" Connie protested resentfully, but nevertheless dropped his hands. "But in all seriousness though, haven't you noticed?"

Jean paused, knowing exactly what the hazel-eyed boy was talking about. He hadn't been paying any attention to Eren—_no fucking way_—but he had grudgingly noticed the changes in Mikasa. She wasn't as cold and distant anymore and unless his eyes were deceiving him, she even looked _content_, the corners of her lips quirking up ever-so-slightly when she thought no one was looking. Only one thing could have happened to bring about such a significant change, but Jean refused to believe it, _couldn't_ believe it for the sake of his poor broken heart. He had dumped everything he knew onto the bastard for Mikasa's behalf, and it seemed like he had unintentionally done him a favor.

Being a good person really sucked ass sometimes.

Tired of this self-pity, he quickly brought the case to a close with a despondent, "No, it's just you."

"Whaaat?" The boy with the shaved head whined, dramatically collapsing in a heap and hanging off the side of his bed.

At that exact moment, Armin came walking into the room and smiled at his roommates in greeting. Connie sat up straight, an eager expression on his face. "Armin, just the guy I wanted to see! You have to know what's been going on with Eren, right?"

"Just give it a rest already!" Jean snapped with a pronounced huff.

The blond boy blinked a few times before a knowing grin stretched across his face. Of course he knew.

* * *

**Two and a Half Weeks Later**

"How's the training with your squad coming along?" Mikasa asked, her grip on his forearm tightening. "Are they treating you right?"

"Yeah, don't worry." Eren reassured her with a hint of annoyance, frowning at the distressed crease between her eyebrows as she examined every aspect of his face for any signs of abuse.

"What about the shorty? Has he been keeping his hands and feet to himself?" She fired question after question. "I swear that if he ever lays a finger on you again…"

There really wasn't any time for an interrogation. "Mikasa, calm down. Everything is just fine." He gently detached her hand from his arm. "Everyone seems to become edgier as we draw closer to the day of the expedition, but otherwise we're on track."

Gnawing on her bottom lip like a fretting mother, she smoothed down the front of his cape and straightened his jacket before reaching up with both hands to cradle his face and caress it with the lightest of touches. "I haven't been able to speak to you for days…are you taking good care of yourself?"

"Eren!" The Lance Corporal's grumpy voice came from somewhere around the corner. Both of them froze for a moment, just staring at each other.

The boy quickly collected himself, always mindful of his priorities—or rather, what the order of his priorities _should_ be. Recently, he frequently caught himself wondering how she was faring with her squad and what she was doing at the moment; a part of him constantly pined for her, to the point that it was ridiculous and just shouldn't be _right_. But whenever he spotted her from the other side of the expansive training field or inconspicuously brushed his hand against hers when they passed by each other with their respective squads, it just _felt_ right. There was no other way for him to put it; love or not, she was home to him.

Just once, five days ago, he had even entertained the idea that eradicating the Titans could take a backseat every once in a while. Dismayed that such a traitorous thought could even _cross_ his mind, he had tossed and turned that night wondering just what kind of mental illness had befallen him before finally drifting off into a fitful slumber. He woke up the next day vowing to not allow anything or anyone distract him from his sole purpose, but when his eyes strayed across the field and located the girl who should have remained the bane of his existence, his resolve crumbled like it hadn't even been implemented in the first place. Needless to say, the plan to avoid her wouldn't have worked out.

And so, three days ago, he relented and threw caution to the wind indefinitely.

"Looks like I have to go. Don't worry about me, take care of yourself, and I'll see you soon enough, okay?" His longing gaze lingered on her lips for a second too long to be considered appropriate before he hastily turned away. What he wasn't expecting was for her to grab his cape with inhuman speed and roughly tug him around to face her again, wasting no time in pressing her lips urgently to his. He responded immediately, succumbing to his inner desires and all too eager to match her enthusiasm.

Aside from sneaking in clandestine kisses that ranged from chaste to borderline risqué whenever there was an opportunity, their relationship hadn't changed drastically at all—she still took it upon herself to take care of him if she was around, and he still sent her sour looks for doing so every now and then. However, they had a mutual understanding of what the other needed and what lines to not cross at certain times, and they had a bond that couldn't be compromised by petty disagreements and personality clashes. They still had a long way to go, but they had already taken the significant first step by accepting the prominent presence of the other in their own lives.

Reluctantly pulling away and drinking in the sight of her face that was bursting with breathtaking adoration for _him_, Eren realized then just how much he had missed her.

* * *

**The Night before the Expedition**

"It's happening. Tomorrow. We're going outside of the walls. I'm scared." Sasha chanted hypnotically, rocking back and forth in her huddled position on the floor. "It's happening. Tomorrow. We're going—"

"Shut up, you freak." Ymir grumbled, flipping onto her side so that her back was turned to the noise.

Krista swatted the irritable girl on the shoulder before sliding off of the bed and sitting down next to the quivering brunette, sympathetically prodding her foot with her own. "We'll get through this, Sasha. The Survey Corps is filled with so many talented soldiers, there's no way we'll run into anything the superiors can't deal with. Chin up, okay?"

Sasha looked over at the blonde, her expression still troubled. "How are you so calm?"

"I'm not." Krista stared down at her hands, her blue eyes brewing up a storm at sea. "But this is the path we all chose, right? We've been training hard for this, so all we can do now is have faith in ourselves and our comrades."

Silence fell as Sasha absorbed her words. "You're right." She conceded, still worrying her lip but considerably calmer than before. "You're right." She repeated again as if to reassure herself.

Feeling like the dreary atmosphere was begging for a topic change, Krista pulled her knees up to her chest and rested on chin on top, voicing her thoughts, "I wonder where Mikasa is…it's almost curfew."

"Where else could she be?" Ymir spoke up dryly, turning back to face them.

It worked like a charm. Sasha immediately brightened up, scrambling onto her feet and jumping up and down as she sing-songed, "With her precious Eren!"

The blonde girl giggled. "I wish she would just give us details…we all know that they're together."

The brunette shrugged and quipped, "They're together, but does _Eren_ know that?"

There was a pause that was ended moments later by a derisive snort from Ymir.

"Good point." Krista rolled her eyes and shook her head with a small smile. "Mikasa must have all the patience in the world."

"She does when it comes to him." Sasha asserted insightfully before her eyes glinted devilishly. "Should I go steal some food and spy on them while I'm at it?"

* * *

**Day of the 57****th**** Expedition**

Levi sat astride his horse, looking as bored and dispassionate as ever. He cared about this expedition, he really did, but why the fuck weren't they moving yet? All of the soldiers of the Survey Corps were lined up before the front gates of the Karanese District, waiting for the fateful call to advance forward and out into Titan territory. From his position in the center, he could tell who was a new recruit and who was an experienced member just by gauging their body language. Some of the new recruits situated ahead were anxiously fidgeting in their saddles, while the old recruits sat perfectly still and straight—but Levi knew that inside, all of them, veterans or not, felt the same nauseous pit in their stomachs. He would never admit it if anyone asked, but there was a very faint but still disturbing knot in his own. It was common knowledge that these expeditions were risky, and even the most elite soldiers didn't know all of the terrors out there. However, he was humanity's strongest for many reasons, and when there were so many people idolizing him, he couldn't afford to let it slip that even he was just human. A superior one, of course, but he bled red just like any other person.

"It's the Survey Corps!"

"They call the emblem on their back the Wings of Freedom!"

"So cool…"

Someone make these fucking naïve kids shut up. His left eye twitched in irritation. It was all fine and dandy that they worshipped the Survey Corps, but they didn't even know half of it. He wasn't sure whether they were lucky or just plain ignorant. Damn, he suddenly felt supremely old.

Deciding that he needed to bother someone—most likely insult them, make them feel grossly inferior—to temporarily take his mind off of the mission looming before them and make himself feel more at ease and in his zone, he swiveled in his seat with devious intentions to poke fun at his favorite target, Eren. Picking on the Titan-shifting brat was especially satisfying for whatever reason. However, to his incensed consternation, instead of being met by a pair of owl eyes blinking in trepidation, he found himself looking at a face that wasn't even angled towards him. Levi silently glowered, wondering scathingly what kind of stupid expression that was. The little shit's revolting gaze was fixated on something up ahead… someone.

With nothing better to do for the time being, Levi followed the direction of his unusually intense look to see if the mystery person would take notice, and indeed, right on cue, a soldier a few squads ahead twisted around to look back. It couldn't have just been a coincidence; that person must have actually sensed that the brat was staring.

Wasn't that the Ackerman girl who's assigned to relay duty…line 3, file 3? The Lance Corporal glanced back at the boy and immediately regretted doing so, his face contorting into a look of pure and utter disgust. This had to be a fucking joke.

The only thing worse than a stupid brat was a lovestruck brat, and if he had read the gloomy brat's body language correctly—_two_ lovestruck brats was a nightmare come true. Was the dense idiot even _capable_ of realizing he could have such feelings, much less act upon them? Never mind, he really didn't give a single fuck. But what had he done to deserve such a cruel godforsaken punishment, to be degraded to babysitting this moony moron? He was humanity's strongest for fuck's sake—he didn't have the time or patience for this shit!

The only thing he was thankful for, if he could even call it that, was not having Ackerman in his squad as well. Sure, she was a fine soldier and probably an irreplaceable asset and all that, but he would consider killing himself if he had to look after both of them.

Having had more than enough, Levi brusquely ordered, "Eren, wipe that fucking gooey-eyed expression off of your stupid face before I do it for you."

The boy spluttered unattractively for a few seconds before squeaking out a fearful, "Yes, sir!"

"Open the gate!" A loud exclamation came from the very front of the formation where Erwin was.

_Well, fuck._ His stomach was still churning because of the scarring sight he could never un-see, and he knew that encountering a swarm of hideous shitty-ass Titan faces wouldn't help at all. Gritting his teeth, Levi emphatically cursed the gods for making his job a hell of a lot more complicated than before.

* * *

***CUE THE FEMALE TITAN ARC* **

**For you manga readers, I hope you guys enjoyed the irony and foreshadowing here and there. I personally think that it just isn't the right time for Eren to _completely_ realize his true feelings for Mikasa yet, and it's not exactly in character for him to just suddenly know that he loves her in the same way...ya know? But this is a promising start! Final thoughts/feedback on my first SnK fic? :) Also, please let me know if guys have or know of any particular prompts that I can consider tackling in future fics. Thanks for reading!**


	5. Update: Sequel!

**Just a brief update: a sequel titled "Her Kind of Love" is the next fic I'm working on. It starts with my take on Chapter 49/50 and continues on from there. For any interested followers of this story, please check it out! Thanks for all of the positive responses to "Live in the Moment," and I hope to see you guys over there! :)**


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